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The Democratic Alliance has asked the government to introduce the Liquor Amendment Bill as a way to deal with alcohol-related problems in the country.
District Attorney Dean Macpherson said the draft legislation has been stuck in the cabinet for the past four years, despite having the potential to introduce a series of regulations that could reduce the harm caused by overconsumption. of alcohol in the country.
“While not perfect, the bill will allow parliamentarians to work to address issues such as minors’ access to liquor and provinces will be able to collect sales taxes to fund cost recovery models,” he said.
This view is supported by the director of the Southern Africa Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA), Maurice Smithers, who said TimesLive that the bill should be sped up along with new regulations around drive drunk.
“The government itself recognizes that there is a problem with the way alcohol is consumed, and now it is critical. We are puzzled why they don’t take the tools they already have and solve this problem, “said Smithers.
the Liquor Amendment Bill proposes a series of far-reaching changes including:
- Increase the drinking age to 21 years;
- The introduction of a limitation of commerce in a radius of 100 meters around educational and religious institutions;
- Prohibition of any sale of alcohol and advertising on social networks and small social networks;
- The introduction of a new liability clause for alcohol sellers.
New rules on alcohol in South Africa for December
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says the government will introduce new legislation on drinking and driving by December 2020.
Mbalula said the road traffic amendment bill was introduced in parliament in June 2020, and the legislation effectively introduced a 0% alcohol limit for all drivers.
The minister said that under the amended law, no one will be able to drive a vehicle or occupy the driver’s seat while the engine is running, with any concentration of alcohol in their system.
“Research conducted by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) in collaboration with the South African Medical Research Council and the University of South Africa shows that alcohol intoxication of drivers accounts for 27.1% of fatal accidents in the country” .
“This is estimated to cost the economy R18.2 billion annually,” Mbalula said.
“As this study and many observations indicate, including the recent deaths of TMPD officers, we must strengthen the law and ensure innocent lives are saved.”
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