The provincial government has teamed up with South African Breweries to fight alcohol abuse and the social ills around it.
DRUNK drivers and unlicensed liquor outlets will not be tolerated this festive season and law enforcement authorities will be out in full force to ensure people abide by the road rules and liquor legislation.
Drinking and driving will not be tolerated, says MEC Qedani Mahlangu
This is according to the Gauteng MEC for economic development, Qedani Mahlangu, who was speaking at a press conference at the Emoyeni Conference Centre on Tuesday, 14 December.
The government has intensified its interventions to improve the effectiveness of the Arrive Alive Road Safety Campaign, and Mahlangu said more men and women in uniform would be visible on the roads.
The campaign was triggered by the department’s concern that too many people were dying and being permanently injured unnecessarily because of accidents on the roads, which were often caused by drunken driving.
“It cannot be over-emphasised that alcohol remains the most notoriously abused drug and has grown in popularity among the youth.”
This was because there were liquor stores situated close to schools and places of worship, she said, which were a social nuisance as learners could go into a store and get a drink before going to school.
“Such incidents have resulted in the recent Jules High School happening, where a school girl was allegedly drugged and then raped during school hours,” Mahlangu explained.
It was because of these reasons that the Gauteng department of economic development and South African Breweries (SAB) had entered into a partnership to deal with these social ills.
Partnership
There are several strands to the partnership. For starters, it intends on promoting responsible trading in the liquor industry throughout Gauteng by insuring that traders do not sell liquor to minors and pregnant women.
It will also look at implementing processes and systems that will facilitate effective licensing and regulation by the Gauteng Liquor Board. This might include looking at terms and conditions around issuing licences.
It will facilitate interventions that encourage traders to operate formalised businesses. To achieve this goal, the department is urging all legal and illegal traders to make themselves known by reporting to their nearest liquor board regional offices.
Illegal liquor outlets will be closed down
“This will help us regularise the market because then we will be able to assess those stores and shebeens that are illegal and if they meet the requirements, a licence will be issued. But if they do not meet the requirements, they will be helped by municipalities to relocate to an appropriate area,” she said.
The partnership will also focus on creating awareness of and educating people about the harmful consequences of alcohol abuse. It will also inform people of their rights – such as the right to say no to having a shebeen or tavern in their residential areas.
In addition, it will promote mutual trust and co-operation between key stakeholders through regular and efficient participation engagements.
“This partnership is intended to fight these social ills within our communities. Both parties are concerned about the number of unlicensed liquor outlets in the province and the harmful effects of the abuse of alcohol.”
It will consist of a steering committee made of representatives from the Gauteng Liquor Board and SAB. The two parties will have a final say on matters relating to the programmes and projects to be implemented.
“This partnership will culminate in a signing of a memorandum of understanding early next year.”
Alcohol abuse
SAB’s director of corporate affairs and transformation, Vincent Maphai, was also at the briefing. He said: “SAB has a responsibility to encourage responsible trading, as outlined in its recently launched alcohol strategy.
“Alcohol manufacturers are ready and willing to partner with likeminded stakeholders to develop initiatives to halt the abuse of alcohol, including promoting responsible trading by liquor retailers. SAB believes that in order for these initiatives to be truly successful, it is essential that the company play a key support role.”
The SAB’s alcohol strategy promotes prevention and education around foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), with the goal of protecting vulnerable unborn children at risk when pregnant mothers abuse alcohol.
This approach is supported by an intensive Reality Check FAS awareness campaign that aims to communicate the harsh truth about drinking while pregnant, in a clear and unambiguous way.
Related stories:
|
