Tavern owners pledge to be reponsible
tavern owners, pledge, Code of Practice, Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use, Durban, Imbizo
MORE than 150 licenced tavern owners from KwaZulu-Natal – including Durban, Umlazi, KwaMashu, Inanda and Port Shepstone – signed a pledge to abide by a Code of Practice drafted by the Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA).
The Code aims to promote the responsible sale of alcoholic beverages by encouraging taverners to refuse the sale of alcohol to underage minors, pregnant women and those patrons who are already visibly intoxicated.
The pledges were signed at a Taverners’ Imbizo initiated and hosted by the ARA at the Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel, Durban last week. This is the third of a series of nine nationwide Imbizos that will run until April 2015.
“Through these Imbizos we would like to foster a culture of co-regulation. We need the support of alcohol vendors like the tavern owners to take ownership of and tackle the issues around alcohol abuse from a grassroots level. The tavern owners need to understand that they are leaders in their community in the fight against alcohol abuse and that they should promote only its responsible use,” said ARA CEO Dr Osborn Mahanjana.
Speaking to taverners at the event, Councillor Logie Naidoo, speaker of the eThekwini Municipality, said: “In South Africa, we have to start a culture of drinking responsibly. Every single individual should begin taking responsibility for their drinking, but tavern owners carry an even greater responsibility. You can choose to serve or not serve your patrons.”
FARR (Foundation for Alcohol Related Research) board chairperson Prof Denis Lowe Viljoen challenged the tavern owners not to sell alcohol to pregnant women, saying that the prevalence of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in South Africa – which is 100 per cent preventable – is higher than HIV AIDS. “You can speak to this as you go back into your communities and take a stand by selling alcohol responsibly,” he said.
The taverners were also addressed by the MEC for Social Development, Weziwe Thusi, who outlined the importance of community participation and co-regulation in the liquor licencing process in terms of the new Liquor Act.
“We are not opposed to liquor. What we are fundamentally opposed to is the abuse of liquor – both by consumers and traders or retailers. We recognise that the liquor industry contributes significantly to the country’s economic activities. However, this needs to be balanced against the impact that this product has on society if not properly regulated,” she said.
