Is raising the drinking age the answer?
URBAN religious leaders and drug r e h a b i l i t a t i o n workers have welcomed the government’s proposal to raise the legal alcohol consumption age to 21, but organisers of some of the biggest matric parties fear the move will drive teenagers underground to illegal taverns, turning them into criminals.
The Department of Trade and Industry released the National Liquor Amendment Bill in Parliament recently, which proposes that the legal age for alcohol consumption be raised from the age of 18 to 21.
Upon issuing the bill DTI Minister Rob Davies said South Africa currently has one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption in the world, and there was a need for robust public debate on the issue. Public comments for the Liquor Amendment Bill close on October 30.
Davies said the government spent R3.7 billion a year on problems related to alcohol abuse. “We are the highest with regards to Foetal Alcohol Syndrome in the world, and 41% of injuries are from incidences (sic) related to alcohol consumption,” Davies said.
Davies said proposals raised in the bill followed studies in other countries such as the US, where it had been proved that raising the legal alcohol consumption age reduced negative alcohol- related incidents like drunk driving accidents.
A study by the Medical Research Council’s South Africa Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use, which contains detailed data from specialist substance abuse treatment centres in all nine provinces, last month reported that alcohol remained the dominant substance of abuse in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo between July and December 2015. Some 26% of patients treated for substance abuse in Gauteng were aged between 10 and 19 and the youngest was 9 years old.
In KwaZulu-Natal, alcohol was the most commonly abused substance among people in treatment, followed by cannabis and opiates such as heroin and nyaope/ whoonga. Patients younger than 20 comprised 25% of the population in treatment while 60% were between the ages of 10 and 29.
Durban religious and community leaders who work with alcoholics and addicts have welcomed the proposal as a long overdue move to fight the problem.
Anti-Drug Forum SA social worker Shantal Bechoo said young people below the age of 20 who consumed alcohol and other mindaltering substances could damage their brains, which were still developing.
“The age of the entry level of learners engaging in substance abuse has gradually decreased over the past decade and with it comes social ills once you have a delinquent in the home,” she said.
Bechoo said most patients were below the age of 18 and referred by local schools. Substances of choice were readily available dagga and alcohol.
“With the bulk of clients under 18 years old, parents hop on the defensive and they are an enabling factor, but it’s also the lifestyles we are leading, where we are in a rat race, we work and get home late and there is very little time,” she said.
“Parents in the first session are adamant that their kids have not engaged in the activity, but when we do testing, parents are forced to admit their kids are dabbling in substances,” she said.
Bechoo said raising the drinking age delayed the onset of youth drinking and it would provide the police with power to take action.
“But obviously youth are still going to have access to and large laws are there for the benefit of most people. We believe that even though there will be exceptions it will benefit the entire populace,” he said.
Hindu Maha Sabha president Ashwin Trikamjee said the proposal would help to delay drinking debut and offer protection to young people who are faced with constant peer pressure to drink.
“It can only lead to a better society. Young people require discipline in their lives and this proposal addresses just that.
"The consequences of drinking at an early age have been there for all of us to see,” he said.
“We are constantly grappling with the consequences of freely available alcohol for young people and particularly the social repercussions. Society needs a shift in moral values and the youth are the people who can provide that boost for the better, and the higher drinking age could well be the beginning of a new morality,” he said.
However, matric Rage Festival director Greg Walsh said the higher age restriction made no sense as it would create a further five million criminals of young people, who would turn to illegal means of buying alcohol.
“The bill references a few pertinent issues which they intend to combat: alcoholrelated crime, alcohol-related abuse, drinking and driving incidents and their higher frequency in 18-21-year-olds, and excessive drinking. All of these issues are valid,” Walsh said.
“Our view is to dedicate police resources to policing the above issues and increase the penalty given to the perpetrator. Increasing the legal drinking age to 21 won’t stop one 18 to 21-year-old from drinking,” Walsh added.
“Police will clamp down on what’s easy to police, such as nice restaurants and bars, and high profile events like Rage Festival, and ensure they comply. So all the 18 to 21-yearolds will be driven to the places that trade illegally.
“We will drive a culture of bribery and corruption and bootlegging, and create around five million new criminals aged 18 to 21. Changing the laws and then continuing with relatively lax policing is only going to create a new mafia.” AS WE prepare for another edition of our flagship project, Minara Chamber of Commerce’s Business Recognition Awards, the wisdom of South Africa’s founding president Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela on the ‘power of partnerships’ resonates in our midst ahead of Friday’s gala banquet.
On this grand occasion when we gather at Durban’s NMJ Hall to salute the achievements of our citizens, compatriots and comrades, largely unsung heroes and heroines and enterprising businesses of our culturally-diverse society who go about their life’s work quietly and unheralded, lest we forget the words of a towering giant of our country’s revolutionary movement for democracy, social justice and human rights.
In essence, Mandela emerged as a beacon of hope and reconciliation from the abyss of apartheid to reconstruct and realign our once broken society. In his landmark speeches, he had always inspired us about the ‘power of partnerships’.
The extraordinary statesman encouraged us to forge partnerships between the private sector and the unfolding new democratic government – the public sector strengthened with a new Constitution, parliament and political system.
Minara was born during this ground-breaking era when Mandela forged invaluable partnerships with the private sector to build a better society for all citizens.
Minara came together and progressively pioneered a nonprofit organisation to work in this changing landscape.
The awards ceremony recognises go-getters in business and acknowledges selfless men and women who strived to make our country an equitable society.
Each year we judge the enterprising and entrepreneurial spirit, integrity and credibility of people who are making a difference to our own community and society.
We have engaged business in our local community and galvanised our chamber with a mission to play our role in a changing socio-economic dynamics. After all, there’s an old adage that says ‘charity begins at home’.
We continuously work with government at all tiers. Amongst our past luminaries and speakers were Dr Zweli Mkhize, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and Dr Iqbal Surve, now head of Independent Media. This year KwaZuluNatal’s MEC for Economic Development and Tourism and ANC chairman Sihle Zikalala will address us on how small and big business can become involved in boosting the local economic development and tourism.
We look forward to global petroleum company, Shell South Africa’s chairman, Bonang Mohale, delivering his keynote address and sharing insights on how global and small business can work together.
More than 400 dignitaries, captains of commerce and industry and community leaders of all religious faiths will grace and embrace our colourful ceremony.
This ‘ power of partnerships’ extends to our sponsors, whom we appreciate as the lifeblood of our community-driven programmes: Standard Bank is our platinum sponsor; Ethiopian Airlines and Turkish Airlines have come on board with sponsorships of return air tickets to exotic destinations; media sponsors, ITV and Muslim Views newspaper, other sponsors, service providers, volunteers and our gratitude goes to awards committee chairman Aslam Ismail, executive committee and members, who are all part of our showpiece.
We will hand out a badge of honour each to Kay Moonsamy and Swaminathan Gounden, surviving activists of the 1946 Indian Passive Resistance movement against the Ghetto Act during the colonial-apartheid era.
Minara is proud of our businesswomen’s wing. Three leading women and an academic are in the running for this prestige award. Enterprising men, young and old, and top companies, are vying for the businessperson, young entrepreneur, professional achiever and community builder awards.
The awards are aimed at encouraging people to strive to improve their worth professionally and in business to achieve service excellence and best practices and to continue playing significant roles in changing and transforming our society that has made the cut as multi-cultural melting pot 22 years since apartheid.
We believe that trade, commerce, business and social cohesion thrives in a free, transparent and democratic society such as ours. Therefore the awards serve to highlight community personalities and bridge builders and sets a benchmark where business, community and government can interact towards strengthening our collective resolve to build a stronger economy, create jobs, eliminate poverty and promote the basic tenets of an open and a vibrant enterprise for all our communities to get ahead amidst the myriad of social challenges.
Let this platform showcase our achievements and accolades and encourage us to forge new partnerships to take our country to far greater heights.
Ebrahim Patel is president of Minara Chamber of Commerce and a
businessman