Raising legal drinking age to 21: 'We must change South Africa's alcohol culture'

Lester Kiewit interviews Zimasa Mpemnyama, Project Lead for the DG Murray Trust’s Alcohol Harms Reduction Campaign.

Listen below.

The Liquor Amendment Bill, initially introduced by the Department of Trade and Industry in 2016, aims to implement several important changes to regulate alcohol consumption in South Africa.

One of the key proposals is raising the legal drinking age from 18 to 21.

In light of the negative impact of alcohol consumption observed during the Covid-19 pandemic, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet has revisited the Draft Liquor Amendment Bill.

However, there has been limited progress to date.

The DG Murray Trust emphasises that no single strategy can adequately address alcohol-related harm in South Africa.

They advocate for the inclusion of the following measures in a revised version of the draft legislation:

• Stricter regulations on alcohol advertising, potentially including a complete ban
• Increased taxation on alcohol, coupled with higher prices through minimum unit pricing and excise taxes
• Reduced availability of alcohol by limiting operating hours, restricting outlet density, and prohibiting sales to intoxicated customers
• Lowering blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits for drivers

"If you only produce and do that one legal policy intervention, which is the legal drinking age, then it won't possibly have the effects that you want."

- Zimasa Mpemnyama, Alcohol Harms Reduction Campaign

Above all, Mpemnyama believes there must be a fundamental shift in the culture surrounding alcohol consumption in South Africa.

She notes that the prevailing mindset suggests that drinking is an essential component of social life, leading people to believe that social interactions cannot occur without it.

"We have to change the narrative so that people can self-police."

- Zimasa Mpemnyama, Alcohol Harms Reduction Campaign

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.