Helping to keep cap on under-age drinking
THERE are young people out there who are on a roll to help those younger than them to resist under-age drinking.
They were among the over18 mentors and mentees who yesterday attended the launch in uMlazi of the campaign “Be Part of the Change”, adding to a smaller mentoring programme that started three years ago.
SA Breweries, supported by the government, launched a pilot programme last year which showed that 80 adults who volunteered to mentor more than 180 youngsters effected a 92% reduction in stopping and preventing under-age drinking.
More than 7 000 South Africans had pledged to mentor someone in their family or community.
Portia Buthelezi is mentoring Thobile Mdluli, a matric pupil at Woodhurst Secondary School in Chatsworth.
“It’s good to have her as a mentor at my side,” said Mdluli.
Buthelezi said she wished she had a mentor after her mother died when she was 12 years old. She went to live with an aunt. “My aunt had five children and I didn’t want to put pressure on her so I made sure I made the right decisions”.
Buthelezi added her contribution to a board of signatures pledging to support the campaign. “The mentor I’ve never had. #BeTheMentor.”
Among the prospective mentors was second-year university student Nqubeko Msweli who believed youngsters were drawn to drink by the images of people living lavish lifestyles that were out of their reach. “Then others are exposed to alcohol when older people, such as blessers, offer it to them.”
SAB Africa president Ricardo Tadeu said being a mentor was about having a positive influence on a young person and helping guide them through the challenges presented by everyday life.
“This could involve giving someone advice, talking about how to avoid peer pressure, sharing your own experiences and mistakes you wish you had not made and how you managed them, or getting them to understand why they should not drink before they are 18.”
SAB announced it would invest R40 million to improving infrastructure such as lighting, facilities and security in township taverns, R13m of which would be spent in KZN. Tadeu said township taverns should be like drinking spots in affluent areas and be gender friendly. “Not places where people drink in the dark.”