Mandela Day has come and gone, and so has Obama, and the Soccer World Cup.
Such events at least added a bit of positivity in our times of great negativity and trouble. And so, we return to reality, remembering we never qualified for the World Cup, that Obama no longer calls the shots and Madiba is no longer around to correct the ship of governance that looks as vulnerable as the Titanic.
At least, South Africa has not yet reached such epic proportions of disaster as Venezuela, where the economy has retracted by 15 per cent and inflation runs into the thousands.
Yes, our woes and struggles are not uniquely African, but global.
These are desperate times, and one believes the struggle for survival is reflected in a recent study that shows that alcohol-attributable mortality accounted for around 62 300 adult deaths.
Of these deaths, 60 per cent occurring in people in the low and 15 per cent in the high socio-economic status groups in 2015.
South Africans are thus drinking themselves to death. Are we drinking for the fun, or to forget the hardships? Either way, we have a problem, and it is serious.
The study called for effective policy measures to prevent alcohol-attributable harm ‘such as limitations of availability and affordability’.
Whatever the government is proposing to do, it has to be swift, and it has to be hard hitting. We cannot merely try to curb alcohol use through increasing sin tax or suggesting an increase in the legal age of drinking.
Alcohol abuse is one of the leading causes of domestic violence and is a contributing factor when it comes to the carnage on our roads.
It is time that the government takes drastic steps to curb alcohol abuse and needs to show the same kind of determination it has shown in regulating public smoking, smoking in the workplace as well as the sale and advertising of tobacco and electronic cigarettes.
During the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health held in Cape Town in March this year, the American Cancer Society (ACS) and Vital Strategies released the ‘Tobacco Atlas‘. It revealed that more than 42 100 South Africans are killed by tobacco-related diseases every year.
The report found that more than 55 000 children (10-14 years old) and 6 321 000 adults (15+ years old) continue to use tobacco each day in South Africa.
It is, therefore, no wonder that the Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill, which was published for public comment in May this year, has come up with changes in SAs smoking laws which will affect a large number of South Africans.
The Bill plans to introduce a zero-tolerance policy on indoor smoking and a requirement that smoking areas are at least 10m away from public entrances.
The Bill also proposes a ban on smoking in a motor vehicle when a child under the age of 18 years is present and there is more than one person present in that vehicle. This will not only apply to cigarettes but also extends to tobacco products and electronic delivery systems such as pipes, water pipes and electronic devices.
There will be a ban on smoking in any enclosed common areas of a multi-unit residence.
Smoking in the workplace will also be regulated whether the workplace is a home or an office. The Bill may prohibit smoking in any outdoor public space or workplace if it’s of public interest.
It proposes that people who break any of the new laws will receive a fine or harsh jail time depending on the offence.
These steps may be excessive but surely needed. Some will seem unfair, but consider the health ramifications of smoking and those affected who are not even smokers.
These steps by the government must be regarded as a step in the right direction. Now it is, however, time for the government to also tighten efforts on addressing alcohol usage and thus abuse so that we can again be a sober and healthier nation.
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