President Cyril Ramaphosa has spoken to the public twice in recent days about the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy, in which 21 East London youths died. He did so on Monday during his weekly message and on Wednesday during the mass funeral for the victims.
The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in South Africa (SAAPA SA) welcomes his involvement, but feels that the President has fallen short of demonstrating strong, decisive leadership by proposing a course of action that will ensure a future decline in alcohol-related harm in our nation.
To safeguard the health, safety, and general welfare of our population, SAAPA SA, other civil society organisations, and public health researchers have been advocating for more effective alcohol control measures for decades.
It must be noted that the administration responded by making some constructive, albeit sporadic, moves from 2010 to 2017.
South Africa supported the WHO Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Alcohol Use in 2010, which was adopted during the 63rd World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), led by the Minister of Social Development, was established by Cabinet the same year to address drug misuse.
Also same year, Cabinet passed a resolution urging all branches of government to avoid joint ventures with the alcohol industry because they could impair the government’s capacity to pass strong alcohol control laws.
In 2013, the Department of Health tabled the Control of Marketing of Alcoholic Beverages Bill, a bold initiative to ban all alcohol advertising and sponsorships as a way of countering the ‘normalisation’ and ‘glamourisation’ of alcohol.
The Bill was never released for public comment or sent to Parliament for consideration because of intense pressure from the liquor industry and its allies inside and outside government.
In 2016, Cabinet approved the new National Liquor Policy drafted by the Department of Trade and Industry. The policy identified weaknesses in the Liquor Act of 2003 and proposed changes to give effect to the three ‘best buys’ of the WHO Global Strategy of 2010 – limiting or banning alcohol advertising, reducing availability of alcohol, and increasing the price of alcohol.
At the same meeting, a Liquor Amendment Bill which would give effect to some of the recommendations of the new National Liquor Policy was approved by Cabinet for release for public comment.
The Department of Trade and Industry initiated a public participation process in 2016/2017. However, before the Bill could be sent to Parliament for consideration, all work on it came to a halt. Since then, SAAPA SA and others have been calling regularly for the processing of the Bill to be restarted.
To date, this has not happened and there are rumours that there are closed-door discussions on possibly watering the Bill down or scrapping it altogether.
COVID-19 highlighted, as never before, the challenges the country faces in respect of the harmful use of alcohol. However, while there were many voices inside and outside government calling for effective measures to address those challenges, including proposals by the President himself in January 2021 – proposals which were in line with the WHO ‘best buys’ – nothing has happened to date.
Since the lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions, the prevailing narrative is ‘economic growth’, with tougher legislative measures to counter alcohol harm no longer on the national agenda.
The Enyobeni Tavern tragedy has reopened the debate. However, in his recent addresses, the President has characterised the problem primarily as one of underage drinking. SAAPA SA and others argue that underage drinking is a symptom of a much greater problem and that, unless this is recognised, appropriate solutions will not be found.
The President called for a national discussion on raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 in his remarks at the burial on Wednesday.
Everyone is now debating whether raising the drinking age will solve the problem of underage drinking as a result.
Because there are significant, empirically supported health and social benefits to doing so, SAAPA SA is entirely in favour of raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21. However, raising the drinking age alone will not have any positive effects.
There is no reason to believe that just because the drinking age is raised to 21, a 13 or 15-year-old youngster who is now drinking alcohol despite a drinking age limit of 18 will suddenly stop.
An all-encompassing, cross-government strategy is required to address the problem. A National Liquor Policy based on WHO “best buys” already exists; what is required is the implementation of procedures to turn policy recommendations into laws.
The President is urged by SAAPA SA, its 66 Alliance Partners from civil society, as well as its colleagues in the public health and research sectors, to act forcefully and effectively by taking action to launch an immediate reaction to the current situation. These should include:
Establishing a National Coordinating Committee for Alcohol Control or Alcohol Harm Reduction, a new inter-ministerial organisation housed in the presidency, to assure a full-government focus on the particular concerns posed by this most pervasive of narcotics.
Urging all levels of government to refrain from forming alliances with the alcohol sector, opposing requests from the sector to be permitted to “self-regulate,” and affirming the government’s responsibility to decide what laws are necessary to limit alcohol-related harm.
Requesting that the Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition prepare the Liquor Amendment Bill for submission to Parliament so that it can be discussed there with the help of the entire country’s citizens.
Requesting that the Road Traffic Amendment Bill be processed quickly by the House of Representatives
Requesting that the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill’s provision for schools to make money by permitting alcohol to be offered and sold on school grounds and at school-sponsored events held off campus be removed.
We are urging all provinces to act quickly to educate the public about their legal right to effectively influence the sale, distribution, and consumption of alcohol in their neighbourhoods. This right is guaranteed by the Constitution and national and provincial liquor laws, and the government is required to take all necessary steps to make sure that the public can exercise it.
Calling for a thorough examination into the creation of a Health Promotion Development Fund (HPDF), funded by a higher alcohol excise charge, to support government and non-profit initiatives to encourage an alcohol-safer nation.
A letter was written to the Presidency in this respect yesterday, July 7, requesting the convening of an urgent conference between Cabinet and civil society to create a platform for people across the nation to contribute in drafting steps to prevent alcohol-related harm. We have been informed that Mondli Gungubele, the Minister in the Presidency, is handling our request.
Announcing a full investigation into the circumstances behind the Enyobeni Tavern disaster since responsibility cannot be placed solely on the shoulders of the slain students, their parents, or the tavern owner. If the entire system is not held accountable for failing our children, no meaningful remedies will be discovered, and the nation will continue to experience tragedies similar to Enyobeni.
Reaffirming the commitment of the government to the implementation of the guidelines of the Global Alcohol Action Plan (2022-2030) and the Global Strategy to Reduce Harmful Alcohol Use (2010), both of which were adopted in May of this year at the 75th World Health Assembly of the WHO.