Cape Town - Efforts to cut alcohol consumption and drug abuse in the province have not yielded good results. This emerged in the State of the Province address by Western Cape premier Helen Zille.
She said the provincial government introduced an “Alcohol Harms Reduction Game changer” but the issue had proved the most difficult and intractable by far.
She said they had identified areas where alcohol was a major contributor to violent crimes and abuse with the aim to reduce alcohol-related intentional injuries and fatalities.
It was therefore necessary to provide recreational and economic alternatives particularly for the high
risk group of 18 to 35-year-olds, she added.
These would be run by social and business entrepreneurs, not by government.
“We would like to create an environment in these areas where the rule of law prevails which will automatically reduce access to alcohol,” Zille said.
She said that it was necessary to “sharpen” the role of the Western Cape Liquor Authority in regulating the alcohol industry.
“Licence fees and fines will increase substantially,” she warned.
She said a drive to ensure responsible trading would be implemented and targeted at the industry, stopping illegal liquor sales.
Five more liquor inspectors would be appointed to enlarge the existing pool and to strengthen the monitoring process.
“We are serious about compliance. Traders must remain within the law and not find loopholes to circumvent it. If you don’t want to face the wrath of the law, do not break the law,” she warned.
She said studies had shown that alcohol was a major contributor to deaths and injuries on the roads, as well as injuries sustained in physical violent acts and this placed a high burden on the health-care system.
The evidentiary breath alcohol testing tool, known as the Draeger device had been re-introduced as part of efforts to curb alcohol abuse by motorists.
She said the use of the device also had the potential to speed up the legal processes against people driving under the influence of alcohol.