This is the first weekend after the
lifting of the alcohol ban and authorities are preparing for a busy 72 hours
as they deal with a spike in drink-related incidents.
Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa pleaded with South Africans to drink responsibly as trauma wards across the country begin to fill following the reintroduction of alcohol sales on Monday.
“Nationally, we have seen a doubling in trauma admissions,” said Prof Charles Parry, director at the alcohol, tobacco and other drug research unit at the SA Medical Research Council.
He had found that feedback from nine hospitals countrywide, reflecting Monday’s activity, indicated that after a severe drop in trauma cases, the situation was back to 70% of the normal number of cases.
Most appeared to be alcohol-related, he said.
In the Western Cape the return of alcohol had healthcare workers across the province begging the public to drink responsibly after trauma cases flooded emergency centres this week.
“I’ve fought with multiple intoxicated people tonight so that they could get adequate care,” said Dr Savanah Smith, who posted these words at the end of one of her shifts this week after the ban on the sale of alcohol was lifted.
“I’ve consoled women whose partners have inflicted violence on them. People have stabbed each other, shot at each other and beaten each other to a pulp. People have driven under the influence resulting in numerous MVAs (motor vehicle accidents). And that’s on top of the sick kids and adults I’ve had to transfer for suspected Covid-19.”
Dr Kim Alexander, who works in a Western Cape hospital, also felt compelled to speak out about the pressure placed on health-care workers by irresponsible drinking.
“We’ve made real sacrifices in our personal and professional lives... Infection rates are rising and the government decides to lift the alcohol ban,” she said.
The change in case load had been clear from the minute alcohol was freely available again - and it added to the increasing burden of Covid-19 patients.
Yesterday, the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko, said there had been 18 deaths in the five days since the ban had been lifted.
Experts predicted that the resumption of alcohol sales would result in an increase in crime, road deaths, domestic violence and see medical wards inundated with alcohol-related injuries, meant for Covid-19 patients.
“We’ve seen a huge drop in deaths in the country, and many of those
can be attributed to the alcohol ban,” said Parry. “Alcohol is the fifth-largest risk factor for death and disability in the country.”
This weekend law enforcement is beefing up operations in anticipation of the rise in alcohol-related crimes. In Gauteng the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) is planning roadside operations that will include roadblocks and pulling drivers over to assess if they have been drinking.
Interestingly, JMPD spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said that there had only been five arrests this week for drunk driving. “This is low. Usually it is 15, 30, all depending on what time of the year it is,” he said.
Minnaar believes increased police and army visibility is the reason.
The Gauteng Department of Community Safety said it had planned raids in various parts of
Johannesburg to ensure that no alcohol is sold or transported throughout the weekend. The department will be focusing on Eldorado Park, as well as Moroka in Soweto.
“The sale of alcohol is only allowed between Monday and Thursday, so
anybody selling or transporting alcohol on weekends is breaking the law and
will be arrested,” said spokesperson Hlulani Mashaba.
“We also will have a number of
roadblocks throughout Johannesburg and will be specifically looking out for drunk drivers.”
In Durban, metro police will be going after house parties. Yesterday afternoon, eThekwini metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersad said: “House parties started on Monday afternoon. We are going to clamp down on them and we’ll be paying attention to nuisance complaints for loud music and public disturbances.”
Emergency services are also preparing for an increase in injuries related to alcohol abuse.
ER24 said it would be working with provincial services and local authorities to assist in dealing with emergencies that might arise.
Spokesperson Russel Meiring said there had been a noticeable “increase, although not dramatic, in the incidents that we attend to where alcohol may be a contributing factor”.
These vary from driving under the influence to assaults and similar (incidents).
“We can expect the number of incidents involving alcohol to rise as this will be the first weekend following the lifting of the ban,” he said.
Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said that the number of collisions on the country’s roads had “exponentially increased throughout South Africa which started roughly three days
before ending level 4 lockdown, with Gauteng seeing the highest number of collisions.
“Pedestrians under the influence
of alcohol have contributed to a vast number of fatal collisions with the majority at night and in the early hours of the morning.
The alcohol ban may have lifted but Parry believes more could have been done, especially for a nation known to have a drinking problem.
He pointed out that South Africans ranked sixth in the world in alcohol consumption with the average drinker taking 64g of alcohol a day - the equivalent of five drinks.
“From a purely medical point of view, I would have said ‘keep the ban’,” said Parry.