Gauteng Liquor Board must act after rugby player's murder

9 October 2014

The Gauteng Liquor Board must take action and responsibility after the brutal murder of former Golden Lions Sevens rugby player, Thulani Popoyi, whose hacked body was found outside the Dollar Table Bar in Melville, angering the local community (see Mellville Times report and Citizen report here).

According to reports, the establishment where Popoyi was alleged to have been murdered has been trading without a liquor licence.

Despite attempts to shut it down, the Gauteng Liqour Board has failed to enforce the Gauteng Liquor Act, which empowers law enforcement and liquor inspectors to take the necessary steps to stop illegal trading, and charge illegal traders.

Had the Act been properly enforced, this tragedy may well have been avoided.

The DA has written to the MEC for Economic Development, Lebogang Maile, to take urgent action to ensure that this establishment is no longer able to trade without a licence, and that anyone found to be involved in illegal trading at this establishment is charged appropriately for repeated violations.

The DA will be submit written questions to ascertain why the establishment was allowed to continue to trade, despite the department's liquor inspectors being aware of the situation in the past.

The full weight of the law must be implemented against anyone operating illegally.

Statement issued by Ashor Sarupen MPL, DA Gauteng spokesperson for State-owned Entities, October 9 2014

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