Cabinet to consider alcohol ad ban bill

A DRAFT bill banning alcohol advertising will be submitted to the cabinet soon, a cabinet committee said yesterday.

The inter-ministerial committee to combat alcohol and substance abuse had agreed to submit the draft Control of Marketing of Alcohol Beverages Bill during the next cabinet cycle.

“The ( committee), chaired by Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini, and comprising 11 other ministries, agreed that the bill, in its current form, was ready for consideration by the cabinet with the view to gazette it for public comment,” a statement from the committee said.

The committee cited numerous inputs from government departments and civil society as motivation for approving the bill.

“Research has shown that the prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse among adults in South Africa is expanding rapidly to the destruction of the families, community and society. (The) government cannot afford to ignore or be quiet about it.”

The committee said that moves by the industry to curb harm caused by drinking alcohol were not yielding results.

“The (committee) agreed that this approach is at odds with most of the evidence gathered by various researchers across the globe, and that there was a need for various approaches, including the banning of alcohol advertising, to deal with the devastating socio-economic impact of this scourge.”

Various departments presented reports on the effects of alcohol on society. The Health Department said the tangible costs of alcohol in South Africa was estimated to be close to R38 billion, while intangible costs could top R240bn.

Alcohol was also the third leading risk factor for death and disability in the country. According to the Transport Department, more than half of South Africa’s road deaths occur as a result of alcohol abuse.

“Around 70 percent of domestic violence has been associated with alcohol; arrestees indicated that they were under the influence of alcohol for 25 percent of weapon- related offences, 22 percent of rapes, 17 percent of murders, 14 percent of assault cases, and 10 percent of robberies.” – Sapa