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[FILE IMAGE]: Wine bottles.
The National Liquor Traders Council has called for scientific evidence into claims that the advertisement of alcohol contributes to road fatalities and domestic violence incidents.
This follows the tabling of the Liquor Amendment Bill in Parliament, which seeks to ban the advertisement, promotion and product placement of alcohol across all media platforms.
The Bill also calls for the state to actively counter the normalisation of alcohol use and curb alcohol-related harm by reducing the visibility and consumption of liquor.
The Council’s spokesperson, Lucky Ntimane, says they reject the Bill.
“This remains a claim that cannot be backed by scientific research or let alone common sense. Because if you look at the proposal to ban the advertisement of alcohol, as it were, it’s something we believe is a shotgun approach. It doesn’t really address the bigger issue that we all should be faced with: the abuse of alcohol in our country, which is a big problem.”
Ntimane adds: “We do admit, however, that you know, the approach needs to be rooted in science and it needs to also be able to safeguard the issues of livelihood. It’s a delicate balance that we need to strike. But banning alcohol (advertisement), it’s simply a lazy approach, something we totally reject.”
PODCAST | SAFM’s Elvis Presslin spoke to Lucky Ntimane, National Liquor Traders Council spokesperson:
