Members of the Mangaung local municipality
Members of the various liquor industry associations
Representatives of civil society associations
Public servants
Honoured guests
In South Africa, as in many other countries, the manufacture, sale and distribution of alcohol are regulated by law. The reason for this is that while for many people the use of alcohol is a socially acceptable pastime with some evidence even pointing to cardiovascular health benefits when taken in moderation, alcohol is a depressant drug that can become addictive and even light but frequent drinking can lead to alcohol dependence. Alcohol can also be abused in socially harmful ways.
In South Africa, we are faced with a very serious problem of alcohol abuse. The origins of this go back to a history of inequality and social control. Liquor distribution among black people was illegal for many years except for sorghum beer through government controlled outlets. The result of this was the emergence of wholly unregulated shebeens, some of which became significant community social facilities, whilst others became dens of crime and corruption. In other instances, under the infamous ‘dop system’, workers were paid in the form of alcohol in lieu of a salary, eventually resulting in a vicious cycle of alcohol dependency. The effects of this history are evident today in a pattern of extensive, socially damaging alcohol abuse.
According to statistics compiled by the Medical Research Council:
* South Africa falls into a category of countries with the highest patterns of drinking with per capita (per drinker) consumption of alcohol at below or above 17 litres per annum
* 21 percent of adult males and seven percent of adult females exhibit symptoms of alcohol abuse
* A quarter of drinkers in South Africa drink at hazardous and harmful levels over weekends
* 29 percent of males in grades eight to 11 report past month binge drinking (18 percent for females)
* 14 percent of South Africans experience alcohol abuse or dependence in their lifetime
* South Africans have the highest recorded levels of foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in the world (over 10 percent grade one learners in De Aar)
* Just under half of all non-natural deaths (road accidents and murders) are associated with a blood alcohol concentration greater than or equal to 0.05g/100ml (legal limit)
* The Road Traffic Management Corporation also reports that on average a motor vehicle accident costs about R1 146 million per annum with 50 percent of the fatalities having above the legal limit of blood alcohol concentration.
Clearly, this state of affairs is totally unacceptable and we must take it upon ourselves to renew our commitment to break the cycle of alcohol abuse. This is why we are here in the Free State today to launch the Third Liquor Regulators Forum, an awareness programme with the important aim of reducing the incidence of alcoholism and alcohol related incidents which come at such great cost to the economy of our country and the lives of our people.
Ladies and gentlemen, liquor policy and legislation in South Africa focuses on two primary matters. Firstly, it encourages the development of a sustainable and a responsible liquor industry by broadening participation and ensuring fair competition. Secondly, it seeks to oblige the industry to act responsibly in a manner aimed at reducing alcohol abuse. National and provincial law provides standard rules and requirements for the manufacture and supply of liquor, among other things:
* Any outlet selling alcoholic beverages must be registered under provincial law
* Any outlet manufacturing or wholesaling liquor must be registered under national law
* No one may manufacture, sell or supply any harmful substance such as methylated spirits or concoctions such as battery acid
* No one may employ persons under the age of 16 in the liquor industry
* No one may supply liquor as an inducement to employment or in lieu of wages or remuneration
* No one can advertise liquor so that it is false or misleading or has as its target the attraction of minors
* No one can sell or supply liquor to minors and preclude minors from producing or supplying liquor
* Any operator of a registered premise has a duty to maintain reasonable order and cannot sell alcohol to obviously inebriated persons or obviously pregnant women.
All these measures are aimed at the promotion and development of a responsible liquor industry in a manner that facilitates an ethos of social responsibility. However, government cannot achieve these objectives on its own. To be effective, we need to partner with communities and civil society. That is why this years National Liquor Regulators’ Forum campaign, the third of its kind, is being conducted under the slogan, ‘Empowering Communities on their Rights and Duties Regarding Liquor Regulation’.
Through this campaign, we are calling on our communities to become acquainted with these regulations and to assist in ensuring that all these rules are upheld. Hence today our message to you is comment, monitor and report. By commenting, reporting and monitoring, our communities have a greater input than ever before into the running and operations of liquor outlets, including those operating illegally.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a long way to go. I am informed that members of the National Liquor Regulators’ Forum visited the Free State during August to undertake a joint inspection blitz with liquor inspectors here and the South African Police Service (SAPS). They focused on Bloemfontein, Mangaung and Botshabelo areas. Regrettably the report pointed to widespread disregard of liquor regulations.
During an inspection of just 29 premises, seven arrests were made, five premises were closed, and almost 6 000 litres of liquor were confiscated due to illegal trading
I therefore would like to urge you, the people of the Free State, as I will be urging communities throughout the country, to be vigilant and play an active role in mitigating the non compliance to our laws. We are convinced that the proper application of the regulations will go a long way to contribute to the reduction of alcohol related incidents.
There is also a central call centre operated by the South African Police Services (SAPS) if you have liquor related queries and matters you wish to report, the details of which can be forwarded to you by Department of Trade and Industry officials present here today.
In conclusion, I wish to inform you that the programme being launched today will be rolled out in various provinces between now and March 2010. Communities will be visited by liquor regulators and information with regards to applicable provincial liquor laws will be provided. I must therefore thank you all for allowing us to begin this programme in the Free State and that the lessons learned can be implemented elsewhere.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Trade and Industry
14 September 2009
Source: Department of Trade and Industry (http://www.thedti.gov.za/)
