The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in South Africa (SAAPA SA) insists on the need for more decisive action in combating alcohol-related harm, arguing that a simple call to 'drink responsibly' is insufficient. The organization demands stricter controls over pricing, availability, advertising, and law enforcement ahead of the National Alcohol Summit.
This call came just before the National Alcohol Summit, scheduled for October 1-3 at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. Representatives from government, civil society, researchers, youth organizations, and local communities will attend the meeting.
The summit takes place amid growing concern over how alcohol contributes to increased road accidents, violence, injuries, and strain on healthcare systems, as well as due to harmful consumption among youth and alcohol use during pregnancy.
Nomcebo Dlamini, Director of the SAAPA SA campaign, noted that while awareness campaigns play a role, they must be supported by stronger policy measures. She emphasized that one of the main problems in South Africa is that alcohol harm is predominantly viewed as an issue of individual behavior, whereas evidence points to the significance of the environment in which people consume alcohol.
According to her, the country needs a broader public health approach that includes increasing alcohol excise duties, restricting advertising and promotion, improving regulation of trading hours and density of retail outlets, strengthening drunk driving enforcement, and expanding access to treatment.
Dlamini clarified that this is not about eliminating personal responsibility, but about acknowledging that personal choice is influenced by the broader social and commercial environment.
The three-day summit, organized under SAAPA SA's 'True Cost of Alcohol' campaign with coalition partners, will be held under the theme 'What needs to change? Rethinking South Africa's response to alcohol harm.' It coincides with World No-Alcohol Day on October 2.
The event also occurs while the National Treasury is considering fiscal policies aimed at reducing alcohol harm, placing alcohol pricing and taxation at the center of the agenda. One of the key issues expected at the summit is the cost of alcohol.
SAAPA wishes for alcohol taxation to be viewed not only as a means of increasing revenue but also as a public health measure. Dlamini stated that the government must ensure that export duties keep pace with inflation and income growth, and that the tax structure accounts for the amount of pure alcohol in the product. Furthermore, SAAPA supports considering a minimum unit price that would set a lower limit for the sale of an alcoholic unit, especially for very cheap alcohol.
Previously, the budget for 2026 increased export duties on alcohol by 3.4% in line with projected inflation. Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the government is consulting on measures such as minimum price regulation or increased excise duties, as well as stricter restrictions on alcohol advertising. He also called on provinces to consider limiting the density of licensed outlets and operating hours.
Advertising restrictions are considered important because of the role marketing can play in increasing the visibility and normalizing alcohol consumption, especially among young people. Dlamini added that attention must also be paid to operating hours and the number of retail outlets in communities. She stressed that restrictions must cover digital marketing, as alcohol promotion can reach consumers through social media and other online platforms.
She argued that advertising control must keep pace with changes in alcohol marketing methods, especially when young people might encounter promotional content.
SAAPA's approach aligns with the WHO's SAFER framework, which defines five priority areas: limiting alcohol availability, strengthening drunk driving measures, improving access to screening and treatment, restricting advertising and promotion, and increasing prices through taxation and other pricing policies.
The WHO describes taxation and pricing policies as some of the most effective and economically viable measures available to governments for reducing harmful alcohol consumption.
Dlamini acknowledged concerns that increasing taxes and tightening alcohol controls could negatively affect business and jobs or stimulate illicit trade. She stated that any policy intervention must consider its economic consequences and be accompanied by effective law enforcement.
However, she countered that the costs associated with alcohol harm—which fall on families, employers, the healthcare system, the criminal justice system, and the wider economy—must also be considered in economic discussions. Regarding illicit trade, she noted that changes in taxation must be accompanied by enhanced law enforcement and improved tax collection.
Dlamini concluded that the issue should not be reduced to a confrontation between regulation and the economy, but rather to developing effective regulation while protecting legitimate businesses, strengthening law enforcement, and reducing overall economic costs associated with alcohol harm.
She noted that while there has been sufficient discussion about alcohol policy in South Africa, the difficulty lies in translating these discussions into sustainable implementation, coordination, and accountability. Since alcohol harm affects health, transport, police, trade, finance, social development, and provincial alcohol regulation, coordination across various departments is crucial.
The summit plans to develop a Call to Action and Accountability Framework that will define responsibilities and ways to measure progress after delegates leave Constitution Hill. Dlamini wants this document to contain measurable commitments regarding taxation and pricing, advertising, trading hours, retail outlet density, drunk driving, prevention, and treatment, along with clear timelines and responsibilities for implementation. Progress can then be assessed using indicators such as alcohol availability, marketing impact, compliance with trading hour rules, road traffic accidents and fatalities, hospitalizations, and access to treatment. Dlamini emphasized: 'The real test will show what happens next. Accountability means we must be able to come back in six or twelve months and ask: what was promised? What was implemented? What changed? And where did progress stall?'