Fedhasa Cape has called on Cape Town's City Council to withdraw or amend its new Liquor Trading Days and Hours by-law, which comes into effect on January 1 next year.
 
The by-law will regulate the trading hours of licensed businesses and was approved by the city council on July 28. Fedhasa Cape wants it scrapped, failing which it wants licensed establishments to be able to apply for extended trading hours.

Fedhasa Cape chairman, Dirk Elzinga, says the by-law will damage Cape Town's reputation as a "visitor-friendly" destination and make life unnecessarily difficult for the hospitality industry. Fedhasa Cape criticises the city for imposing restrictive trading conditions on the entire licensed hospitality industry because of "a minority of known and identifiable defaulting establishments" who, it predicts, will continue trading illegally irrespectively. It says the by-law will not address socio-economic problems associated with alcohol consumption. Elzinga says the city has failed to adequately motivate or explain the reasoning and aims behind the new by-law, despite a lengthy consultative and legislative process. "At no stage has the city published the precise aims and objectives, nor have they provided an explanation as to why and how they believe the by-law will resolve issues in the best interests of the hospitality industry and the general public.