Government stalls on alcohol laws

Businessmen and the Sports Department could have influenced legislation

THE SABMiller board membership of deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and former finance minister Trevor Manuel could have influenced the government’s proposed alcohol advertising laws.

That’s the view of UCT researcher Adam Bertscher, who spoke yesterday at a seminar in Sea Point focusing on “curbing the marketing of harmful products to young people”.

Bertscher was referring to the stalled Control of Marketing of Alcohol Beverages Bill. The latter has generated considerable public debate since it was first proposed in Parliament in 2013.

It is intended to limit alco- hol advertising, particularly at sporting events, with the aim of decreasing alcohol-related illnesses. The national Sports Department stands to lose out from alcohol industry sponsorship if the bill is passed into law.

Bertscher told a gathering of local and international academics, researchers and lobbyists about how the relationship between the alcohol industry and politicians could impact on policy implementation.

SABMiller, a multinational brewing and beverage company headquartered in London, confirms on its website Manuel has been a company non-executive director since March last year. Ramaphosa was a non-executive director from 1999 to 2013.

SABMiller’s former executive director Vincent Maphai has been part of the government’s National Planning Commission, which makes decisions on various public matters.

Bertscher pointed out that in 2012 Maphai presented to Parliament the “alcohol industry’s arguments that the government should not ban alcohol advertising”.

“It’s a clear conflict of interest. It shows how the industry can influence politicians and the formulation of public health policy,” said Bertscher.

“They’re in a position of power where they can influence policy. They’re well connected and we don’t know what impact that has.

“The Sports Department also wants to protect their sponsorship.”

Professor Sally Casswell, who focuses on public health at the University of New Zealand, described how “bilateral and economic agreements are making it difficult for governments to regulate” alcohol and tobacco advertising.

“Industry can sue governments for laws that go against bilateral agreements,” she said.

Casswell said social media companies were also going unchecked in the carrying of alcohol advertisements that were reaching children.

Professor Charles Parry, director of the alcohol, tobacco and other drug research unit at the South African Medical Research Council, said they organised the seminar to “look at ways of mitigating young people’s exposure to advertising and alcohol consumption”.

“The alcohol industry, in order to grow, targets new drinkers,” said Parry.

New products were introduced to the market to attract young people.

“There are wine lollies designed to appeal to young people. There’s a concern that young people could confuse this with fruit lollies.”

Parry said they were concerned that “alcohol is one of the top health risks in South Africa”.

“This country has drinkers who consume alcohol at harmful levels. We don’t have a country of responsible drinkers.”

On the smoking issue, meanwhile, the National Council Against Smoking’s Yussuf Saloojee called yesterday for the formation of an independent health promotion and development foundation to ensure disease-free citizens did not get sick and burden state resources.

“We have a section of our population that is healthy but at risk because of their behaviour.

“Most of our health budget goes to treating the sick. We need to spend money on preventing diseases,” said Saloojee.

“This means less money will be spent on treating sick people.”

He added: “This foundation can facilitate a partnership between the government and civil society. It needs to be independent of government so it operates without bureaucratic impediments.

Malcolm Freeman, chief director for non-communicable diseases at the national Health Department, said “there is a need for health promotion and we need to get adequate funding for it”.

The MRC said yesterday that its research showed “17.6 percent of high school pupils (were) smoking tobacco monthly, 12 percent of adolescents initiating alcohol use before age 13, and 6.9 percent were obese”.

“Tobacco, alcohol and sugar are risk factors for ill-health in both the short and long-term,” the MRC said.

yazeed.kamaldien@inl.co.za