Government message on substance abuse should be in taverns, owners say

Tavern owners in Delmas, Mpumalanga, on Wednesday pleaded with  the deputy minister of social development Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu to take substance abuse campaigns to shebeens and taverns.

They said it was pointless to have one-off information sessions on specific days in churches and leave out the very places where people are drinking.

Sikhumbuzo Makhubu, 38, who owns a tavern in the area, was at pains explaining to the deputy minister about the absence of the government in places where alcohol was sold. He said the only time the government would be visible was when there was a tragedy.

“We need to change the communication strategy and walk together in this fight. There are no posters with government messaging in any place where alcohol is sold,” Makhubu said.

Makhubu said as an owner, he gets to hear why people spend their time at shebeens and taverns.

“There are no recreational facilities for children. Young people are stressed due to unemployment. Women are looking after their children with no assistance. They tell me they drink because it is the only way they can forget their troubles,” he said.

Makhubu said alcohol was used by the apartheid government to destroy black families.

“This is what we need to dismantle in order to strengthen black families. Children are sent to buy alcohol by their parents and these are the things we need to look into.”

Makhubu was part of the dialogues facilitated by Bogopane-Zulu, who is on the 9-9-9 campaign against fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD).

For nine days across nine provinces the deputy minister is criss-crossing the country educating South Africans about the dangers of FASD. 

The department said this campaign leading up to Friday, which is International FASD Awareness Day, is an advocacy initiative which seeks to mobilise communities to protect unborn babies by educating people — especially women of child-bearing age — about the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant or breastfeeding.

According to the World Health Organization, SA has the highest reported FASD prevalence rate in the world. It is estimated the country’s overall rate is at least 6%.

There is no specific treatment for FASD other than to avoid alcoholic beverages during pregnancy.

The campaign will be on its eighth day on Thursday at Ncumisa Khondlo Community Hall in Peddie, Eastern Cape.

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