Alcohol advertisement to be banned in South Africa
September 6, 2011
South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world, and the government is making strides to improve safety and cut down on criminal behavior in the nation. Most recently, the health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, announced at the World Health Organization's violence prevention meeting that the advertisement of alcohol will be banned in order to lower the risk of drunken criminal acts, the AFP reports.
"The driving factor behind this is alcohol, the harmful effects of alcohol," Motsoaledi, said during the meeting on Tuesday, according to the AFP. "We're not going to pull back about the issue of alcohol control, including the banning on advertising of alcohol. It's just a matter of time - it's not an issue of whether, it's an issue of when."
He is backed by Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, who said that substance abuse is one of the main causes of crime and violence in South Africa, iAfrica.com reports. Though both add that the removal of alcohol advertisements from the plethora of media outlets, such as billboards and TV commercials, could take several years to complete.
People can use international phone cards to make calls to South Africa to discuss the health minister's latest move to combat crime.