President Cyril Ramaphosa will address the nation at 8pm, as pressure mounted on the government to lift the ban on the sale of alcohol and tobacco.
This came as speculation swelled that the government was about to announce that the country would move from the extended lockdown level 3 to level 2.
There has been a strong push from the alcohol and tobacco industry for the lift of the ban on the sale of cigarettes and booze.
Ramaphosa’s address follows a meeting earlier this week of the National Coronavirus Command Council and meetings today of the President’s Coordinating Council and Cabinet, a statement from the Presidency reads.
This comes as the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) today granted the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) leave to appeal the high court dismissal of its legal challenge against the ban on cigarette sale.
Earlier this month, major alcohol industry players such as Heineken South Africa announced that the ban on liquor sale has led to the loss of thousands of jobs, with Heineken noting that it has had to reassess a number of its expansion plans, including opening a brewery in KwaZulu Natal.
