Alcohol bill on backbench
Lobby group complains to the UN about the government’s slow response
ANTI-Alcohol lobby group the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance has complained to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights about the lack of transparency and access to information with regard to the proposed Control of Marketing of Alcoholic Beverages Bill.
In a submission made to the UN, the group lambasted the government’s slow response to release the bill.
“Various rights are implicated by alcohol consumption (linked to advertising) and the effects thereof. Therefore, the withholding of the 2013 bill violates both constitutional and international socio-economic rights obligations,” the submission said.
The group is ordering the government to immediately release the bill.
The alliance’s spokesperson, Aadilah Maker Diedericks, said: “We have, without success, made numerous requests to the government for the release of the Control of Marketing of Alcoholic Beverages Bill of 2013. In its 2017 report to the UN, the South African government refers to the draft Bill as one of its ‘achievements’.
“But is it an “achievement” if there has been no progress with it since 2013 when it was approved by the cabinet for public comment, but not released to the public for comment as it should have been?”
Diedericks said local and international research had shown that advertising influenced the early initiation of alcohol consumption.
In 2013, the former minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini approved that the bill be gazetted for public comment.
The purpose of the bill is to reduce the exposure of alcohol on advertising and promotion. The Department of Social Development and Department of Health formulated the bill.
“In South Africa, 25% of people younger than 19 drink alcohol with 12% younger than 13 having consumed alcohol in the past month. These are the statistics that should guide government action on the regulation of alcohol marketing -- where alcohol is sold, how much it costs and the size of containers,” Diedericks said.
The organisation slammed a new advert by Carling Black Label titled “What does it mean to be a man?”
The advert was launched last month and reinforced and promoted the idea that men drank without showing any of the harmful consequences of such consumption “the impact of which is borne by families, communities and our economic and health systems”, Diedericks said.
Peter Ucko, chief executive of the Tobacco, Alcohol and Gambling Advisory, Advocacy and Action Group said: “I am not sure what the hold up is, but they have to realise this is a matter of saving lives. South Africa has the highest number of (children with) fetal alcohol syndrome and this bill is long overdue.”
Department of Health spokesperson Popo Maja said: “The department is working with the Department of Social Development. Unfortunately at this time we are uncertain where exactly the process of this bill is.”