JOHANNESBURG - South Africans spend an average R400-million a day on alcohol.
However, in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve, sales almost triple, to exceed R1-billion a day.
While festive trading boosts profits, it has knock-on effects for families and the public service.
Kashifa Ancer from the advocacy group, Rethink Your Drink, believes that aggressive advertising and promotions play a major role in driving increased consumption.
She makes an example of bulk-buying promotions, which she says encourage people to purchase and consume more alcohol.
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Another major issue Ancer highlights is pricing.
She says while alcohol sales may appear to benefit the economy it is the opposite.
According to Ancer an estimated 10 to 12 percent of South Africa’s GDP is spent responding to alcohol-related harm — including costs linked to hospitals, road accidents, policing and healthcare.
“South Africa simply cannot afford to lose this amount of money anymore,” she says.
Advocacy group Rethink Your Drink is calling for stronger pricing and trading regulations to ensure that predictable harm is no longer treated as inevitable every festive season.