Loud music irks residents

With an old age home and several residential properties within a stone’s throw from the Hippo Tavern in Onverwacht, the liquor promotion event held there last Saturday evening and Sunday morning did not sit well with residents.
Loud music entertained a crowd of people until 6am Sunday morning. A resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she phoned the police at 5am Sunday morning, who told her that the municipality had given permission for the tavern to play loud music until 6am.
Northern News spoke to the owner of the Tavern, Eddie Jacobs, who said that it was not the municipality who granted permission, but the provincial police department. He produced a letter of permission for a liquor promotion event. The letter does not give any indication of what time the event should stop. It indicates that the event was categorised as a low-risk event which, according to the provincial police department, should have been held in the day up until 10pm.
The provincial department of economic development disagree, saying that the event is linked to the trading hours of the tavern as stipulated in the licensing agreement. According to liquor board regulations, a licensed tavern may only operate until 2am. Patrons are not allowed to drink liquor outside the premises.
According to the Lephalale police the required Section 4 meeting was not held prior to the event. “We had no knowledge of the event or how many people were going to attend the event,” WO Frans Mokoena said.
Jacobs told Northern News that this was a once off event and that the tavern will operate during its usual trading hours from now on.