On December 28, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa banned all sales of alcoholic beverages, striking another blow to the country's wine industry that has suffered greatly since the beginning of the pandemic.

Footage from January 28 shows Diemersfontein Wine & Country Estate in Wellington, one of the wine estates adversely affected by the alcohol ban.

Operations Manager Denise Stubbs, says the effect of the alcohol ban is serious and can result in the closing of the estate, which currently employs more than 60 permanent and seasonal workers.

Francois Roode, the chief winemaker at Diemersfontein, says he understands why President Cyril Ramaphosa enacted the alcohol ban but explains how sales volumes are down as a result of a five drought as well as the economic effects of the lockdown.

On 28 December 2020. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, moved the country to an adjusted level 3 in terms of the country’s coronavirus lockdown regulations. Under the new regulations all sales of alcoholic beverages were banned.

The reason for the ban on alcohol sales was motivated by the rising number of new coronavirus infections as the country was gripped in a second wave of infections as numbers spiked beyond what was experienced in the first wave.

One of the wine estates which is adversely affected by the alcohol ban is Diemersfontein Wine & Country Estate in Wellington. Denise Stubbs, the operations manager at the estate says the effect of the alcohol ban is major and can result in the closing of the estate. The estate currently employs more than 60 permanent and seasonal workers.

Francois Roode, the chief winemaker at Diemersfontein, says he understands why President Cyril Ramaphosa enacted the alcohol ban but explains how sales volumes are down as a result of a five drought as well as the economic effects of the lockdown.