Popular Johannesburg eatery The Local Grill will be unable to keep its doors open beyond the end of January if the alcohol ban continues, its owner Steven Maresch said in court papers on Tuesday.
Maresch’s affidavit is one of five supplementary affidavits that have been added to the court case brought by South African Breweries (SAB), challenging the alcohol ban imposed on December 29 under the amended level 3 lockdown regulations.
SAB has urgently approached the Western Cape High Court, asking it to declare the regulations that provide for the alcohol ban to be “unlawful and of no force and effect”.
The affidavits include two from restaurant owners and one from the Restaurant Association of SA, which said that a survey of its members revealed that the prohibition on the sale of alcohol “endangers the job security of a significant number of restaurant employees”.
Maresch said The Local Grill employs 34 people full-time. Already, before the ban, and just as a result of the curfew and seating restrictions, the restaurant was only just breaking even.
“The complete prohibition on the sale of alcohol implemented on 29 December 2020 has resulted in a further 30% drop in turnover … The consequence of this is that The Local Grill is now unable to make ends meet and faces permanent closure,” he said.
Maresch said if the prohibition were to remain in place, on “the most optimistic outlook” it would not be able to remain open beyond the end of January. If it shuts down its “entire staff contingent will be rendered jobless,” he said.