UNVEILING THE IMPACT OF THE LIQUOR INDUSTRY:

South Africans, particularly in the Western Cape, have a significant alcohol consumption problem, resulting in harmful behaviours like binge drinking and severe social, health, and economic consequences. To address this, the government introduced the Alcohol-Related Harms Reduction Policy White Paper. In 2017 which covers various problematic aspects in our country:

1. Pricing and Economy: Despite the alcohol sector's economic contribution, the costs of alcoholrelated harms outweigh its benefits. Proposed measures include banning alcohol advertising which exposes minors to liquor consumption being regarded as a risk-free activity, regulating trading hours, and increasing alcohol pricing through taxation.

2. Illicit Liquor Trade: Efforts are underway to bring unlicensed liquor outlets into the regulated market responsibly and sustainably. This involves identifying supply chains, promoting alternative economic opportunities, and implementing stricter penalties for liquor law transgressions. The South African Police Service (SAPS) and Western Cape Liquor Authority (WCLA) have been very active in addressing illegal liquor traders in the Western Cape. Furthermore, SAPS and the WCLA have been enforcing Section 64 of the Western Cape Liquor Act, 2008: not allowing current licence holders to renew their liquor license due to not complying with the Western Cape Liquor Act. For the past two years, the WCLA has furnished compliance notices to over 250 license holders not allowing their licenses to be renewed until they comply with the demands of the WCLA. This shows their dedication to reducing irresponsible liquor trading in the Western Cape.

3. Enforcement: Enhancing enforcement involves increasing resources for liquor enforcement units, enforcing underage drinking laws, and implementing innovative strategies to tackle problematic liquor outlets. We have been attending SAPS public forum meetings for the past 3 years in numerous areas of the Western Cape and have noted there are various liquor traders legal and illegal that disregard the regulations set out in the Western Cape Liquor Act and National Liquor Act.

4. Alcohol and Road Environment: Measures aim to reduce alcohol-related road trauma through random breath testing, licensing restrictions in high-risk areas, and stricter driver alcohol limits. Due to the continued reckless use of alcohol in the Western Cape law enforcement has taken further measures to ensure our national roads are safe from liquor consumers driving while intoxicated. As seen on the Western Cape Government hundreds of drivers have been arrested for driving while intoxicated since December 2023.

5. Health and Social Services: Improving access to treatment services, prevention, and early intervention programs, especially for alcohol-related conditions, is prioritized. This includes interventions at antenatal clinics and schools in high-risk areas. As can be seen on the Western Cape Government Website 54% of injury related deaths in South Africa involved persons with positive blood alcohol concentration and the average was double the legal limit. This is over half of the victim’s needing assistance from health care centres due to alcohol abuse in our country.

6. Community-Based Action: Community involvement is crucial in addressing substance abuse. Initiatives include expanding community-based treatment models, coordinating integrated community programs, and leveraging neighbourhood watch structures. It is not a myth that alcohol increases domestic violence and gender-based violence in our country. This is a serious issue which needs to be addressed as woman and children are the majority of these victims suffering under the hand of these alcohol abusers. SAPS is attempting to build trust with their communities by removing victims from their situations and placing them either in a safe house or designated living area at the relevant SAPS station. The community needs to attend to SAPS community meetings on a monthly basis in order for a strong relationship to be built between themselves and SAPS officials.

7. Education and Awareness: The focus is on educating the public about the negative consequences of alcohol abuse and promoting effective interventions. This includes strengthening school-based prevention programs and mainstreaming education in all departments. In the Western Cape 35.2% of learners between Grade 8-11 were found to have binge drank (2017) –which is more than any other province in South Africa this means over a quarter of children in our country have access to liquor which by no means can be justified. With such high statistics it is evident that there is a lack of authority and education directed towards the youth which in turn is destroying the future of South Africa. Furthermore, 18-26% of Grade 1 learners in certain high-risk communities showed signs of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. This indicates that there is a severe lack of education revolving around the dangers of consuming alcohol while being pregnant. The fact that children are being affected involuntarily by these actions shows there is a major lack of awareness made by the relevant governmental officials and action needs to be taken as children are suffering due to this.

8. Information, Data Collection, Monitoring, and Evaluation: Establishing efficient data collection systems is vital for monitoring and evaluating interventions' impact. This involves setting target indicators, implementing monitoring-and-surveillance systems, and lobbying for comprehensive alcohol-related data collection at all government levels. Liquor traders have a responsibility to work with their nearest police officials to attend to the various issues alcohol causes in our communities.

The Government of the Western Cape (www.westerncape.gov.za) offers numerous projects, statistics, and services to assist with the numerous issues our communities are facing due to alcohol abuse. Liquor license holders do have an ethical responsibility to contribute to their communities to ensure the impact of their trade does not destroy the future of our youth. These measures collectively aim to regulate alcohol more effectively, reduce harm, and promote a safer and healthier society through collaborative efforts across government levels and sectors.

We at Liquor Loft by no means are blaming liquor traders for the numerous issues alcohol creates in our community however we cannot ignore the issues created by liquor consumption as this will have a severe impact on our communities in the future resulting in financial losses for all businesses in the process. 7-10% (R165-236 Billion) of our country's GDP waslost due to alcoholrelated harms in 2017 and these figures have not shown any significant increases in the past few years. If we as license holders do not act against these above-mentioned issues our business will directly or indirectly be affected.

-Marnus van Wyngaard LLB