BACKGROUND:
Alcohol availability is a well established driver of harm, including violence, injury, and road trauma. In South Africa, unequal exposure to alcohol outlets and late night trading increases risk for children, women and low income communities. While national reform can be slow, provincial and municipal decisions on licensing and trading hours are immediate levers that shape everyday safety. This abstract describes a focused review of strategic litigation linked to trading hours, to support learning on governance and accountability in alcohol availability policy.

METHODS:
Two strategic litigation matters on alcohol trading hours were reviewed: DG Murray Trust v Kannaland and DG Murray Trust v Northern Cape. Sources included court records, judgments and orders where available, expert affidavits, and public communications, with supporting media coverage. The material was summarised into themes on decision making, evidence, and accountability.

RESULTS:
The analysis focuses on three areas: how trading hours decisions are justified and documented, what types of public health evidence are introduced in proceedings, and what governance and implementation expectations are articulated in formal records. This mapping is used to describe where accountability and equity considerations appear, and where gaps persist, with specific attention to implications for children and other vulnerable groups.

CONCLUSIONS:
Strategic litigation focused on alcohol trading hours provides a practical lens on how availability policy is governed in contested settings. Systematically documenting how decisions are made, justified, and challenged can strengthen learning for public health advocates and policymakers seeking equity oriented approaches to alcohol harm reduction.