Get sober for October
The month of October has been deemed Ocsober, where South Africans are being asked to quit drinking for the month, as part of a campaign to raise awareness about alcohol abuse.
The nationwide campaign, was first launched in Australia, but has now hit South African shores, and is backed by organisations such as South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (Sanca).
“It’s new for us, but I think if you talk about a campaign like this and you can really market it properly, I can really say that it can have a positive impact to spread the message of responsible alcohol use,” says David Fourie of Sanca.
Avril de Vries (66) says she supports the idea behind Ocsober, but is just too old to participate.
“Life’s too short, what if I only have four months to live? If I stop drinking for a month, then I only have three months to drink,” she jokes.
De Vries adds that growing up, young people in her day did not drink as much as they do today, and such a campaign could raise awareness amongst the youth.
Dolf Uys (25) only drinks when he has money.
“It’s going be very hard for everybody to stop drinking for a month, especially because there are people who can take their last food money to buy a drink,” he says.
The Gauteng Liquor Board has also launched their Liquor Awareness Month campaign in Boksburg, which started on October 1, and will run for the duration of the month.
The board has identified corruption in the issuing of liquor permits as one of the major factors crippling the liquor industry.
The Gauteng Liquor Board says liquor traders with fake permits and informal premises will be dealt with severely.
According to Dawn Park Police Station spokesperson W/O Prudence Mvelase, fake permits and informal premises such as shebeens, are not a major issue in Dawn Park.
“I cannot say that it’s a major problem, but yes we do close down informal premises operating illegally now and then, and make arrests,” she says.
