A leading charity wants South Africa to borrow an idea from the Covid era and apply it to late night drinking. The DG Murray Trust (DGMT) says bars, taverns and restaurants should stop selling alcohol for drinking on site at midnight. The idea is simple: shorter hours, less harm. The trust believes it could mean less violence, fewer road accidents and less pressure on public hospitals.
The call comes at a busy time. DGMT is taking a legal fight over longer liquor trading hours in the Northern Cape to the Constitutional Court. It is easy to see why the debate is heating up. The outcome could shape how provinces set their liquor rules in future.
What exactly is DGMT asking for?
The trust runs an alcohol harm reduction campaign called Rethink Your Drink. Its project lead, Kashifa Ancer, says the evidence points one way. The longer a venue stays open, the higher the risk of violence and road crashes.
Ancer says the hours between midnight and 06:00 worry the campaign the most. This is the window linked to violence between people and other alcohol related incidents.
The proposal is not a ban. It is easy to get this wrong, so here is the simple version. Alcohol would still be sold. What would change is the closing time for places where people drink on the spot. That includes bars, taverns, restaurants and shebeens.
The rule would also be easy to explain to the public. If you are drinking at a venue, the sales stop at midnight.
Why compare it to a Covid lockdown?
During the Covid 19 pandemic, government limited alcohol sales and introduced curfews under the Disaster Management Act. This happened at Alert Levels 2 and 3. The aim was to take pressure off hospitals and trauma units.
DGMT says the logic behind its call is the same. It points out that tighter limits on alcohol availability during the pandemic were linked to a big drop in trauma cases. These included injuries from assaults and road accidents. The trust argues that cutting access during the riskiest hours could again prevent injuries that never needed to happen. It would also free up healthcare resources.
An easy way to think about it is this. The pandemic rules showed what happens when alcohol is harder to get late at night, and DGMT wants to test that thinking again.
To be clear, nobody is asking for a full lockdown to return. The comparison is about the thinking behind the rules, not about stay at home orders. The proposal only deals with trading hours for venues that sell alcohol for on site drinking. It is a simple rule with a narrow target.
Why the rules change from province to province
South Africa does not have one single set of liquor trading hours. Responsibility is shared between national and provincial government. That means each province can set its own rules. Some provinces ask venues to close earlier. Others allow alcohol sales well into the early morning.
Ancer says this is part of the problem. There is no single liquor law telling everyone what to do. Every province can go its own way. That makes it hard to give a simple answer to a basic question such as “When must the bar close?”
DGMT has fought this kind of battle before. In 2024, the Western Cape High Court declared a Kannaland bylaw invalid after DGMT challenged it. That bylaw had extended trading hours across seven days a week.
The Northern Cape court battle in simple terms
The case centres on the province’s Gambling and Liquor Act of 2024. The law allowed longer trading hours. Reports say it let venues sell alcohol until 02:00, seven days a week.
DGMT took the law to court. In April 2026, the Northern Cape High Court found that the provincial legislature had failed to properly involve the public before passing it. The court said the consultation process was flawed, which made the law invalid. One detail stands out. Notice of a hybrid consultation meeting was reportedly sent only six days before it took place.
The easy part to understand is the principle. People must get a real chance to have their say before a law like this is passed.
The story did not end there. Under South African law, when a lower court declares a law invalid, the Constitutional Court must confirm it. Until then, the declaration does not take effect. That is why DGMT filed papers in the highest court and asked it to confirm the ruling.
DGMT is also appealing parts of the High Court judgment. The High Court chose not to rule on the wider constitutional questions around extended trading hours. These include public health, safety, dignity and the rights of children. DGMT wants the Constitutional Court to look at those questions as well. Media reports say the matter is expected to be heard next month.
The table below gives an easy overview of the main points.
| Issue | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who is pushing | DG Murray Trust and its Rethink Your Drink campaign |
| Main call | Stop on site alcohol sales at midnight |
| Venues affected | Bars, taverns, restaurants and shebeens |
| Hours of most concern | Midnight to 06:00 |
| Law in dispute | Northern Cape Gambling and Liquor Act of 2024 |
| Current step | Constitutional Court confirmation of the High Court ruling |
The cost of heavy drinking
DGMT estimates that heavy and binge drinking costs South Africa about R433 billion a year. The trust says the money the alcohol industry brings into the economy must be weighed against these wider costs to health and society. There are no simple sums here, and the argument is likely to continue.
Ancer says liquor laws cannot be separated from the harm that heavy drinking causes. She points to violence, pressure on public healthcare and babies born with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The condition is a major concern in the Northern Cape. At an earlier court hearing, DGMT’s lawyer told the court that one study found between 12% and 28% of children at study sites in the province were living with FASD.
The trust believes provincial governments must think about these public health consequences before they extend trading hours. It also says provinces have a duty to protect communities from harm that can be prevented.
Keep in mind that these figures and arguments come from DGMT. The courts will decide the legal questions, and lawmakers will decide the policy.
Shorter hours are only part of the plan
Ancer is clear that shorter trading hours alone will not solve the problem. There is no easy fix. The campaign also supports:
- Limits on alcohol advertising
- Limits on how many liquor outlets can operate in one area
- Minimum unit pricing
- Changes to alcohol excise taxes
Minimum unit pricing is a simple idea. It sets a floor price below which a standard drink cannot be sold. DGMT is also pushing National Treasury to bring it in.
What this means for you
For now, nothing changes overnight. The midnight cut off is a call from a campaign group, not a new law. Closing times in your area still depend on your province’s rules.
The simple takeaway is that the Northern Cape case could set an important example. If the Constitutional Court confirms the High Court ruling, provinces may have to take public consultation much more seriously when they change liquor trading hours.
It is easy to follow how the case develops. You can read DGMT’s media statement on the move to the Constitutional Court and check the Constitutional Court website for updates.
What happens next
The Constitutional Court now holds the next chapter. It must decide whether to confirm the High Court ruling, and it may also look at the wider questions DGMT has raised about health, safety and dignity.
Meanwhile, the call for a lockdown style midnight limit will keep stirring debate. Supporters say it could save lives and ease the load on hospitals. Others will want the economic side weighed carefully, something DGMT itself says must happen.
Either way, the question is simple to state and hard to answer. How late should South Africa keep selling alcohol, and who gets to decide?
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