Malema calls for total ban on alcohol ads, says industry hides drinking’s social harm

EFF leader Julius Malema says South Africa should follow the example set with tobacco and impose a total ban on alcohol advertising, arguing that current marketing glamorises drinking while concealing its social costs.

Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association’s Annual General Conference in Enugu on Sunday, Malema criticised how alcohol brands portray alcohol consumption.

“We don’t want alcohol advertised in South Africa because they advertise alcohol through the means that is not a true reflection of alcohol.

''Why are you not advertising alcohol with drunkards and show people what alcohol will do to them? It cannot be that alcohol is advertised only with beautiful people at the beach. It must be a true reflection of what this will do to you,” he said.

Malema compared his call to South Africa’s earlier stance on tobacco, which outlawed cigarette advertising under the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act of 1999.

“We have done the same before by banning the advertisement of cigarettes in South Africa and what is to follow is alcohol,” he said.

His remarks come as health experts continue to push for tighter regulation of alcohol. The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has long warned that alcohol is a leading driver of violence, accidents and public health crises.

During the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, the Council reported a dramatic fall in trauma admissions when alcohol sales were temporarily banned, citing the link between drinking and hospital cases of assault and car crashes.

In a 2012 analysis published in the South African Medical Journal, researchers concluded that “a ban on alcohol advertising is one of the most effective interventions available to reduce hazardous drinking,” drawing parallels to South Africa’s success in reducing tobacco use.

Government has previously proposed the Control of Marketing of Alcoholic Beverages Bill, which sought to restrict advertising across media platforms, but the draft legislation has stalled for more than a decade.

The liquor industry has strongly opposed an outright ban.

In 2013, when Cabinet first signalled its intention to tighten alcohol advertising, the South African Liquor Brandowners Association (SALBA) warned that a prohibition would hurt the economy and lead to job losses in sectors such as sports sponsorships, broadcasting, and advertising.

More recently, in 2021, SALBA chairperson Sibani Mngadi said the industry favored “awareness programmes, targeted harm reduction interventions and effective law enforcement” over blanket bans on alcohol advertising. He argued that such advertising restrictions would have little impact on alcohol abuse and could cause unjustifiable economic harm.

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za

Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.

IOL Politics