The South African alcohol industry has made good on its promise to assist the government’s efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic by donating personal protection equipment (PPE) worth almost R20 million over two months.

Spokesperson for the alcohol industry Sibani Mngadi said, “The industry made a commitment to the government to support the country in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. We proposed a new social compact that included an investment of R150 million into direct harm reduction interventions and programmes over the coming year and embraced economic recovery strategies, and commercial commitments, such as this supply of much-needed PPE, including M95 respirators.”

He added that following consultations with government departments, including the Department of Health (DOH), critical PPE was identified as the support most urgently required. Jointly, we identified and agreed upon 24 key hospitals in Covid-19 hot spot areas that urgently need PPE.

  • Gauteng: 6
  • Western Cape: 5
  • KwaZulu-Natal: 6
  • Eastern Cape: 7

Mngadi confirmed that all the PPE items would be medical grade, and would include masks (N95 and disposable), gloves, face shields, and coveralls/jumpsuits.

South African Liquor Brand Owners Association (SALBA) CEO Kurt Moore said, “The total planned investment of this PPE Project (procurement and distribution end-to-end) is R20m. We are following very strict governance protocols and vetting procedures and are working closely with both National and Provincial DOH to ensure the PPE is distributed to the correct hospitals.”

This contribution is a joint initiative with all members of the alcohol industry contributing towards the project.

“We are still in the midst of a pandemic and we can’t let our guard down. All the stakeholders must work together in establishing the collaborative, social compact that will contribute to ensuring the safety of our frontline healthcare workers as well as preserving the life and the livelihoods of the country’s citizens,” said Mngadi.