Vinpro interdict hearing postponed

By Lisa Riley

Published: 07 July, 2021

Vinpro’s urgent interim interdict application to lift the latest ban on wine sales in the Western Cape has been postponed.

The interdict hearing was due to be heard today (7 July) following Vinpro launching an urgent application on 29 June 2021 when the latest alcohol ban came into force.

However, the two duty judges for the hearing of urgent applications this week had both indicated earlier this week that they would not be in a position to hear the interim interdict application today as they had already been appointed to hear Vinpro’s main application set down for hearing on 23-26 August 2021, said Vinpro.

No alternative judges were available, it added.

Vinpro said its legal team had "immediately approached the judge president on an urgent basis" to arrange for the hearing of the interim interdict application before a new judge on a date to be arranged.

“We are extremely disappointed by this turn of events and are currently in urgent consultation with our legal team on the way forward,” said Rico Basson, Vinpro MD.

When the fourth alcohol ban was announced, Wines of South Africa (WoSA) voiced deep concern about the restrictions, which included sale of alcohol for both onsite and offsite consumption banned for 14 days.

SA wine businesses have only intermittently been able to earn any income from local wine sales since March 2020, which has led to an overall loss of more than R8bn in direct sales revenue and still threatens the survival of cellars, wine grape producers and the livelihoods of 27,000 employees in the wine industry value-chain.

The third alcohol ban on local liquor sales was lifted 1 February.