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Bottles of alcohol seen on a table.
Social justice organisation Soul City has expressed concern over what it calls South Africa’s casual view of alcohol.
This follows a viral social media video showing a woman allegedly giving alcohol to minors on Christmas Day.
The video sparked widespread outrage and dialogue on alcohol regulation in the country.
Soul City Institute for Social Justice CEO Phinah Kodisang says, “South Africa has a problem on many levels, that was my initial reaction – to say we take something as serious as alcohol, and we think it’s something to play with, to celebrate with and not even take care of who is actually being given alcohol. These are children, and you see adults being nonchalant about it – that tells you that the actual issue in our country is deeper than we actually think.”
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Meanwhile, the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism has issued a strong warning to liquor licence holders- vowing to revoke the licences of establishments found selling alcohol to minors.
Director for Limpopo Liquor Affairs and Business Regulations, Dr Robert Mudogwa, says the province will implement harsh sanctions, particularly against the outlets that are entertaining the sale of alcohol to people under the age of 18.
“But we’re not only doing this during the festive, but this is also what we do on a daily basis. If we found that the outlet is contravening the Limpopo Liquor Act simply by selling alcohol to minors, normally we call them to the Liquor Board for a hearing. If there is enough evidence, we issue sanctions such as revocation and cancellation of the licence,” adds Mudogwa.
Related video| Children increasingly affected by alcohol abuse:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gs6FXHO0Rc
