15 liquor outlets closed

Sep 4, 2012 | Sapa | 1 comments

A STING operation has led to the closure of 15 liquor outlets in Pietermaritzburg and Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, the department of trade and industry said

Picture by Toby Melville/Reuters

More than 35 outlets, including distributors, manufacturers, taverns, restaurants and bottle stores were raided.

The operation began in Fallan Park outside Pietermaritzburg last Thursday and ended in Howick on Saturday.

The 15 closed outlets were fined up to R1,500 each during the operation which included the department, police, the SA Revenue Service, the KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Authority and the KwaZulu-Natal Gambling Board.

Most contraventions were for allowing off-site drinking, while other violations included failure to produce liquor licences and operating outside of stipulated times.

Stella Khumalo, chief executive officer of the KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Authority, said: "Other than monitoring and enforcing, we also wanted to educate liquor licence holders about the need to comply with the law."