Following the shortage of medical equipment in the Eastern Cape, the South African alcohol industry has committed to purchasing medical supplies worth R30m in the province. Supported by Distell, SAB/ABI, Heineken, Pernod Ricard, Diageo, Salba and CONSOL, the project is determined to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The industry provided two-months’ worth of PPE supplies and support to frontline workers in the government hospitals and had targeted the 24 hardest-hit hospitals in the largest hotspot regions. The supplies included locally manufactured medical-grade FFP2 masks as well as surgical and general-use gloves.
The equipment was delivered to OR Tambo District and Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Region and the bulk of the supplies were being delivered in November to Port Elizabeth and the DOH warehouse in Mthatha.
“The industry had engaged with the provincial government to reach agreement on distribution, logistics, and project management support for the initiative. The Department of Health had identified the Eastern Cape as a hot spot, and the premier reached out to our associates requesting assistance,” said Lucky Ntimane, convener: Liquor Traders Formations.
Ntimane noted that the industry would play its part in stemming the tide against the spread of Covid-19 in the liquor trade and in the communities in which it operated and would continue to advocate for responsible consumption.
Sean Robinson, President of the Liquor Traders Association of South Africa (LTASA), said, “We are calling on traders to act responsibly. But, at the same time, we must point out that the overwhelming majority of traders are doing their best to adhere to the Covid-19 trading conditions and will continue to do their part”.
The industry was concerned about the rise in the number of Covid-19 positive cases and coronavirus-related deaths in the province. “We convened as a matter of urgency to see how we could further support the efforts and relieve the pressure on the health system,” said Ntimane.
This initiative follows Distell’s Tavern Dialogues, a project to tackle gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), which was also rolled out in the Eastern Cape in mid-November.
