South Africans drink, get behind the wheel and cause thousands of road deaths per year, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently highlighted.
Detailing South Africa’s big headache of drunk driving, the BBC stated in a recent report that the country “has the highest level of alcohol consumption in Africa per capita, nearly double the continent’s average”.
Is there evidence for this?
24 Black Label quarts to reach a litre of pure alcohol
BBC reporter Pumza Fihlani told Africa Check that she based her claim on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) 2014 report on alcohol and health. The data in this report actually covers the time period 2008 to 2010, which is the most recent data the WHO has validated. The figure for total alcohol consumption per capita is based on a three-year average of recorded and unrecorded alcohol intake.
Recorded alcohol intake is measured by production, import, export and sales statistics. Unrecorded alcohol intake refers to alcohol, such as home brews, which is not taxed and is outside the usual system of governmental control. Experts estimate this portion of alcohol use – while the most precise data on alcohol intake is typically derived from alcohol sales tax data.
When these data sets are not available, as is the case with many African countries, the WHO uses a combination of statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organisation, projections and a range of modelling techniques to work out alcohol intake over time. This a senior technical officer in the WHO’s department of mental health and substance abuse, Dag Rekve, explained to Africa Check.
Article researched and supplied by Africa Check.
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The AA Estcourt branch hosts meetings every Tuesday at Forderville Primary School from 7pm to 8pm. Contact Desigan on 082 849 3014. The AA Winterton branch hosts meetings every Thursday at the Springfield Church opposite the police station from 7pm to 8pm. Contact Dolly on 071 688 5330 or Virgilo on 079 688 0432.
