Tshwane - Tavern owners and other alcohol outlets were urged on Thursday to act responsibly, in line with the prescription of their business licences, and avoid selling the liquor to children and visibly pregnant women.
“The focus of this campaign is directed at young women and the youth as they are vulnerable groups in our society. We're addressing an issue which we have seen - the prevalence of FAS [fetal alcohol syndrome],” said Prea Ramdhuny, chief director at the department of trade and industry's National Liquor Authority.
She said the levels of children born with the condition was at six percent which is a great cause for concern. “We have addressed the community on the harmful effects of fetal alcohol syndrome and we told them that prevention is better than cure. Prevention means 100 percent no drinking [alcohol] while mothers are present. The effects of the unborn child is that there are physical deformities, growth retardation as well as learning and behavioural disorders,” said Ramdhuny.
The sobriety campaign is taking place under the theme: “Combating Liquor Abuse is Everyone's Business”.
Numerous stakeholders including police officers, tavern owners, civil society activists and government officials gathered at the Mbolekwa Community Hall in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria to discuss the problem of alcohol abuse.
Ward 51 councillor Thabang Magodielo said said alcohol outlets were thriving across Atteridgeville. “We still have a lot of binge drinking. We have a lot of people relying on liquor to boost their morale when they are feeling down, they go to pubs. Some business people take advantage of the fact that there is no by-law enforcement on some of their businesses. So there is a certain level of misuse of liquor in our society,” said Magodielo.
He said it was a mammoth task for police officers to keep tabs on the mushrooming formal and informal liquor outlets in the area. “Right now people don't erect formal structures and put branding here, but people know where such outlets are. The police are not in the know sometimes. It is the information that they are missing. Also, some of our pub owners are not educated on some of the by-laws. The languages used in educating people about by-laws in English and the magogos (old women) don't know it.”
He said at the same time, alcohol advertising was all over the place with billboards marketing liquor erected at numerous spots and on electronic media. “Now do you honestly blame people when they choose to start these businesses because they can see through the adverts that there is a market and the business is thriving,” said Magodielo.
Oupa Mthombeni, chairperson of the Concerned Tshwane Liquor Traders Association said however policing over liquor by-laws should be fair and uniform. “We educate our members here not to sell alcohol to pregnant women and to under-aged children. Our aim is to recruit all liquor traders in Tshwane so that we can speak with one voice. When we say no selling of liquor to these groups of people, it should mean nobody sells to them,” said Mthombeni.
“We are also telling the National Liquor Authority not to look at taverners only. We have supermarkets which are selling liquor ... the rules they are putting on us must also apply to the supermarkets and bottle stores surrounding our township. Pregnant women can buy wine at supermarkets and no questions are asked.”
The extensive DTI campaign is raising awareness on the high-risk behavioural activities related to alcohol abuse such as violence, risky sexual activities, and the spread of HIV/AIDS, and encourage behavioural change.
African News Agency