OnTap Magazine

LETTER FROM THE CEO OF THE BEER ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA Patricia Pillay REFLECTIONS OF COVID 19 IMPACT ON THE LOCAL BEER INDUSTRY Summer is on its way and with it, a wave of relief as our country begins to slow down in the lead up to the December holidays. Many South Africans are looking forward to a much needed break after another year of national lockdowns, following the outbreak of Covid-19 in March 2020. As our country continues to battle against the spread of the virus, we are slowly seeing an uptick in vaccination rates, with over 40% of our adult population now fully vaccinated. These statistics are good news for business owners and employees in the alcohol industry, who have suffered great hardship due to the ongoing restrictions on trade which have been implemented over the past 22 months, including four alcohol bans. There is still vaccine hesitancy though and we are working with government to encourage more people to get vaccinated. This is critical to all of us returning back to our normal lives. BASA members have also been hard at work, implementing their own innovative interventions over the past few months, aimed at increasing our vaccination rates. This has included SAB and Heineken holding vaccination drives for their staff members, their families and the public across the country. Over 161 days of trade has been lost because of bans, which have had a devastating impact on the local beer industry, in particular craft brewers. Twenty-seven local craft breweries were forced to shut their doors, with the prohibition on alcohol also resulting in a tax revenue loss of R34.2 billion and R10.2 billion lost in excise revenue from the beer industry alone. With those businesses that survived, slowly getting back onto their feet, our industry can simply not afford another ban on alcohol, particularly over the coming festive season – such as the one implemented over last December. The Beer Association of South Africa (BASA) has therefore written to various Ministers as well as the Presidency requesting a meeting with them to discuss. Our industry continues to remain vigilant, particularly over the coming holiday period, to ensure that consumers buy and consume beer safely and responsibly. This includes ensuring the wearing of masks at all times and the enforcement of social distancing and other Covid-19 protocols. When it comes to giving the local beer industry a boost, in particular our craft brewers, BASA has also launched its Brew Routes campaign, which aims to promote craft breweries across the country and encourage people to visit these establishments over the festive season. You can find out more about this exciting campaign in the “BASA Updates” pages that follow. We encourage South Africans to join us in celebrating our rich beer culture and heritage by visiting and supporting the craft breweries and Brew Routes in your province and the rest of the country. Furthermore, if eligible to take the vaccine, please register for your jab and encourage your friends and family to do the same, to help us in our efforts to fully reopen the South African economy. It will take a concerted effort to balance the fight to save both lives and livelihoods in the months to come. Have a blessed and safe festive season and remember to drink responsibly and in moderation. 6 | Summer 2021 | ontapmag.co.za