Programme director
Representatives of the Department of Social Development DSD and Central Drug Authority
Representatives from the South African Breweries LTD
Participants from various provinces
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and various stakeholders represented here
Ladies and gentlemen
First of all I would like to convey my gratitude for the invitation to join you in this important Indaba.
By virtue of staging this gathering, we acknowledge the resounding truth that the social fibre of our society is tainted by ills which border on the health and future of our nation.
We also concede that these ills, among them substance abuse, will never disappear from the surface of society if not fought through collective action and mobilisation.
It is disturbing that the destructive hand of alcohol has found its way to threaten the health of women and children. In September 2009, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made a clear observation, speaking about the importance of investing in healthy women and children.
Mr Ban remarked that: “It is said that a society can be judged by how it treats women and children. Together, we can improve the health and well-being of women and children. When they thrive, so will our world.”
I recall these words because they convey an unequivocal message that we have the potential to help pregnant women out of alcohol, and that if we succeed, they and their children will thrive, so will our world.
The reality is that we need to arrest the problem of alcohol abuse, which is on the rise in South Africa. Many studies suggest that this has devastating effects on individuals, families and communities. Yet, we can also bear testimony that it has also manifested in countless incidents of misery spanning domestic violence, road accidents and the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Today, the problem of alcohol abuse continues to cause severe damages to families, the very institutions that constitute important pillars of society. On one hand, women bear the brunt of domestic violence due to this problem, as a result of strained power relations in families. In most instances, women remain silent about any physical or emotional abuse sustained, primarily due to income poverty.
On another hand, women themselves as victims of domestic violence turn to alcohol, falling victims to the myth that “alcohol solves people’s problems”. This applies to a number of women, including young or old pregnant women.
We all know about the dangers of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Accordingly, this scenario must worry us, because it carries great potential to expose the unborn children, who constitute a critical part of the future, to the Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
Mothers who consume alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome. These infants can suffer mental retardation and other irreversible physical abnormalities.
In a broader context, this is more than just a health or social issue. It is a matter that threatens the stability and success of our nation, because it is a social problem with the enormity of destructing our fragile democracy.
We must not allow alcohol to affect innocent children negatively, especially in this era where they have a brighter future in a democratic country, which future they must envisage and build with a clear state of mind.
For instance, studies about rural populations and those associated with wine farms in the Western Cape have demonstrated that 50 per 1000 school-entry children have the Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. In four disadvantaged communities in Gauteng, the rate is 26.5% per 1000 children. This situation is extreme in De Aar and Upington in the Northern Cape, where prevalence rates exceed 100 per 1000 children and 70 per 1000 children respectively.
This tells us that we are sitting with a serious problem, which requires collective action to deal with. We are grateful that this Indaba brought together different stakeholders to explore creative ways of addressing the problem of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome.
In particular, we are delighted because this is a joint initiative with the South African Breweries LTD, which shows us that they too want to participate in finding a lasting solution to the problem. While aware that the SAB is in the business of selling liquor for profit, we welcome this partnership, because it shows that they have put national interest ahead of profit at the expense of the people. Our message to the people of South Africa will remain constant that they must never allow consumerism in the alcohol business industry to compromise their health and lives.
The Central Drug Authority indicates that alcohol remains the drug of choice in South Africa. Although the regulations require warning labels for alcohol beverages, which highlight the negative effects of alcohol consumption, this is yet to translate into practical understanding of such messages by those who drink alcohol. Ideally, such understanding must translate into low rates of excessive alcohol consumption.
We still contend with the myth, especially among the youth, that excessive drinking on weekends is “acceptable”. Alcohol abuse can never amount to acceptable behaviour regardless of the day on which it is consumed.
We also have a challenge of media adverts that portrays alcohol drinking as a prestigious thing to do. It is for this reason that we have launched a community mobilisation campaign against substance abuse, to highlight the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse to the people of South Africa. We want to urge South Africans to reclaim their position as own liberators with the capacity to defy any form of destructive consumerism.
This is a huge task which government will not accomplish without partnerships with all stakeholders gathered here. We once again reaffirm non-governmental organisations as important service providers who are rooted in the proximity of ordinary people. In my previous capacity as Deputy Minister of Social Development, I have met with NGOs and highlighted to them that we are very keen to strengthen them, so that they can deliver quality services to our people.
I hope that we will see more NGOs providing services in the area of anti-substance abuse. In due course, we will hold the Biannual Substance Abuse Summit. This will once again give us an opportunity to engage, and ensure that we emerge with a united voice against substance abuse.
In conclusion, I must emphasise that we will continue in the spirit of partnership to identify critical areas that require urgent attention, like the matter we are discussing today.
Let us spread the message that “drinking during pregnancy can be harmful to the unborn baby”
We must work together to build a society of healthy women and children. As the UN Secretary-General said, “when they thrive, so will our world”.
I wish this Indaba all success.
Thank you.
