The Western Cape is heavily burdened by harmful alcohol use. Alcohol misuse in the province, like in the rest of South Africa, has a detrimental impact on individuals, families, and communities. The Western Cape government (WCG) has therefore identified the harms caused by alcohol use as a priority issue for the province, and the Western Cape Provincial Cabinet has selected the reduction of alcohol-related harms as one of its “game changer” areas of focus. To this end, the province has developed an Alcohol Harms Reduction White Paper, which documents the provincial government’s vision for reducing alcohol-related harms
in the Western Cape.
One of the proposed policies in the White Paper is to restrict the trading hours of retailers selling alcohol for onsite consumption. The effectiveness of reducing trading hours in achieving a reduction in alcohol consumption and its associated harms is supported by international research. It is also endorsed by the World Health Organization as one of the ‘best buy’ policies that governments can enact to reduce alcohol consumption and its associated health and economic costs. This report provides estimates of the health and economic impacts of implementing restrictions on the legally permissible trading hours of retailers selling alcohol for onsite consumption in the Western Cape.