Africa-Press – Eswatini. Eswatini Beverages Limited (EBL), in a bid to enhance the enforcement of trading regulations, will assess over 500 of their customers, incentivising and rewarding those outlets with certificates according to their level of compliance.
This was said by EBL Country Director Doreen Tumureebire during the Eswatini Responsible Trading Programme (RTP) launch yesterday.
She stated that RTP was modelled around incentivising and rewarding outlets based on compliance with their trading regulations and would be rolled out to 574 of their customers. “Retailers will be assessed according to their level of compliance, which falls into three levels of certification, silver, gold and platinum,” she said.
Tumureebire outlined that a silver accreditation was the entry bar, and meant the retailer was compliant with liquor regulations, while gold accreditations meant that the retailer actively champions responsible consumption.
interventions
“Platinum accreditation is the highest of them all, meaning the retailer is a true champion of safety and community involvement, something all retailers should work towards,” she said.
Tumureebire said the programme was established because of EBL’s commitment to driving change through partnerships with government, key stakeholders, communities and tavern owners.
“We are working hard as a business through measurable interventions such as the RTP that we are launching here today, to create a future that we can responsibly celebrate together as a nation. We are championing responsibility,” Tumureebire said.
She added that beer had been a special part of the country’s heritage and culture for many years.
“As EBL, we firmly believe that every experience with beer should be a positive one. This belief requires us to encourage and enable the growth of thriving communities where responsible consumption is the norm,’ she said.
Tumureebire highlighted that one of the negative consequences of COVID-19 and subsequent alcohol bans was the rise of illegal and irresponsible trading practices, and general decline in the enforcement of trading regulations.
“The launch of RTP in Eswatini will address issues such as selling to underage drinking, intoxicated customers , driving under the influence, and pregnant women consuming alcohol.
requirements
“We commit to help the nation to trade responsibly by training and rewarding businesses who champion responsible consumption in our communities,” she said. Tumureebire said complying outlets would be rewarded whereas non-complying ones would be coached to make changes to meet compliance requirements.
She added that the objective of the audits was not to penalise non-complying outlets, but to assist them to fully comply with their trading requirements.
“As recognised leaders in their respective communities, our trader partners are the most powerful force in the fight against the harm caused by alcohol abuse,” she said. Tumureebire further congratulated the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo, for making sure that the Liquor Licensing Bill had been passed into law under his leadership.
“We believe that proper regulation is essential for the long-term sustainability of our business, and we commit to doing all possible to encourage the behaviour of responsible consumption,” Tumureebire said.
provisions
The minister said the programme was an important and necessary intervention in the society because it was a positive step towards improving the enforcement of liquor licensing conditions, a function which the ministry was also responsible for.
“The ministry and Eswatini Beverages have embarked on a long term-partnership of ensuring that liquor traders are operating within their licensing provisions and in harmony with their communities,” he said.
Khumalo said one of the biggest issues the country faced was reducing alcohol harm and that the ministry had undertaken various measures to try and address this. “Of course, this is not an easy task to accomplish, and we face numerous challenges in making the change in practice, but we believe there is an opportunity for significant improvement if we work in partnership with the industry,” said Khumalo.
He highlighted that the goal of RTP was to test for compliance, assist non-compliant outlets to comply and reward those complying to aspire for even better business practice. “Therefore, I want to encourage all the licensed outlets in the country to also use this opportunity to review their operations to see if they are still trading within the provisions of their license,” said Khumalo.
He added that it was everyone’s responsibility to ensure the long-term sustainability of business by fully complying to license conditions and operating harmoniously with the community to protect their license to trade.
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