DG Murray Trust prepares Constitutional Court bid on alcohol trading hours
The trust and other campaigners want a midnight cut-off for on-site alcohol sales. The Northern Cape High Court struck down parts of the province's Gambling and Liquor Act of 2024 because public consultation on extended trading hours was inadequate.
Kashifa Ancer leads the trust's Rethink Your Drink campaign. She said sales after midnight, especially between 4am and 6am, are linked to a great deal of harm, especially interpersonal violence. She also said the later outlets stay open, the higher the risk of violence and road accidents.
Ancer said longer trading hours encourage people to drink more. She said this adds to health complications and other social problems.
She cited estimates that alcohol-related harm costs South Africa between 10% and 12% of gross domestic product. She said the alcohol industry contributes 3% to 6%.
Ancer also said a higher price per unit of alcohol could cut consumption and alcohol-related hospital admissions. She said evidence from Scotland and Wales suggests this.
She said South Africa has no single liquor law, and provinces set their own rules.
Key facts
- Who
- Kashifa Ancer (project lead of the DG Murray Trust's Rethink Your Drink campaign); DG Murray Trust (campaigning trust preparing to argue before the Constitutional Court); Northern Cape High Court (court that struck down parts of the province's Gambling and Liquor Act of 2024); Africa Melane (702 and CapeTalk presenter who interviewed Ancer)
- What
- The DG Murray Trust is preparing to take a Northern Cape High Court ruling on extended alcohol trading hours to the Constitutional Court. Campaigners, including the trust's Rethink Your Drink project lead Kashifa Ancer, are calling for a midnight cut-off for on-site alcohol sales.
- When
- 26 October 2026
- Where
- Northern Cape, South Africa, Scotland
- Status
- Reported