Pretoria, 23 May 2014 - The recently released World Health Organisation (WHO) global status report on alcohol and health provides backing for the approach taken by government in curbing the abuse of alcohol in South Africa.
The WHO report – which provides a global overview of alcohol consumption – indicates that individual South Africans (15 years and older) consumed an average of 8.2 litres of pure alcohol per annum, well above the African continental average of 6.0 litres.
More concerning is that, according to the WHO, an average of 2.9 litres of pure alcohol consumed in South Africa goes unrecorded, potentially bringing the country’s average consumption to about 11 litres per capita per annum.
With regards to patterns of drinking scores in the report, where 1 represents least risky and 5 represents most risky, South Africa scores 4!
According to the report, drinking alcohol is associated with a risk of developing such health problems as alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries. The report also states that latest causal relationships suggested by research findings are those between alcohol consumption and incidences of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
The harmful use of alcohol can also have serious social and economic consequences for individuals other than the drinker and for society at large, states the report.
Research papers presented by Minister of Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, in parliament during 2012 showed that alcohol abuse in South Africa continues to ravage communities, families and particularly the youth, as it goes hand in hand with gender-based violence, child abuse and neglect, crime, reduced productivity, dysfunctional family life, escalation of chronic diseases and premature death.
The Department of Social Development, in consultation with the relevant departments and stakeholders, is expected to take reasonable measures to combat substance abuse through the development and coordination of demand reduction or discouraging alcohol consumption, supply reduction and harm reduction.
The Department does this work through the Central Drug Authority – an advisory body mandated to assist in the fight against substance abuse in the country and custodians of the National Drug Master Plan (2013 – 2017).
The Drug Master Plan serves as the country’s blueprint for preventing and reducing alcohol and substance abuse and its associated social and economic consequences on South African society, and builds on the foundation laid down by government's Programme of Action on alcohol and substance abuse.
Through the Programme of Action, government strategically aims to develop policy, review and align liquor legislation; educate and create awareness on substance abuse; promote equal access to resources across South Africa; respond to policies and legislation with regards to drugs and organised crime; as well as review of institutional mechanisms to prevent and manage alcohol and drug use in the country.
Cabinet has also appointed an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Combating Substance Abuse – chaired by the Minister of Social Development. One of the important functions that the IMC has been seized with is the introduction of multi-pronged measures to tackle the scourge of alcohol and substance abuse, including the development of the Control of Marketing of Alcohol Beverages Bill, for which a regulatory impact assessment is currently under way.
The Department of Social Development welcomes the WHO global status report on alcohol and health and will use the data and information provided in it to strengthen its current interventions as well as use it to bolster future programmes to end alcohol abuse in South Africa.
Media inquiries:
Lumka Oliphant on 083 484 8067 or lumkao@dsd.gov.za
Issued by Department of Social Development
