Ramaphosa blames underage drinking for S/Africa’s social decay

By Agence de Presse Africaine Last updated Jul 5, 2022

APA-Pretoria The growing trend of underage drinking is“ not only illegal, but also psychologically and physically detrimental to society,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday. The president said this in his weekly message to the nation in the wake of the tragedy in which 21 young people died– some as young as 13– at a tavern in the Eastern Cape province two…

APA-Pretoria (South Africa) The growing trend of underage drinking is “not only illegal, but also psychologically and physically detrimental to society,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday.

The president said this in his weekly message to the nation in the wake of the tragedy in which 21 young people died – some as young as 13 – at a tavern in the Eastern Cape province two weeks ago.

“The increased social acceptability of young people drinking alcohol has become a serious problem in a country, where the majority of the drinking population are already classified by the World Health Organisation as binge drinkers,” Ramaphosa said.

He added: “Alcohol use among adolescents is associated with impaired function, absenteeism from learning, alcohol-related injuries, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and risky behaviour.”

He called on South Africans to “come together to combat this vice that is robbing our young people of the best years of their lives and making them susceptible to alcohol addiction.”

“Children under the age of 18 consuming alcohol is against the law. As families, it means having open and frank conversations about alcohol abuse and setting boundaries for them,” he said.

He said South Africans should refrain from practices such as sending minors to buy alcohol for them – or capitulating to requests to buy alcohol for underage children.

The president acknowledged that the abuse of alcohol by children “is a form of escapism” in communities where “opportunities for safe and age-appropriate recreation are few.”

“As government at national, provincial and local level we need to respond to the pleas of this community and those of other communities by developing more recreational spaces, facilities, programmes, and projects for our young people in disadvantaged areas in the province,” he said.

NM/jn/APA