ANCYL gains support for Sunday liquor ban

Support widened on Wednesday for the African National Congress Youth League’s (ANCYL) call for a ban on the sale of alcohol on Sundays.

Both the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and the Young Communist League (YCL) said the idea should be given serious thought.

The ANCYL on Monday proposed the ban as part of the fight against drug and substance abuse among youths.

“The ACDP commends the ANC Youth League for highlighting the serious problem of alcohol abuse in South Africa, particularly in as much as it applies to young people as alcohol abuse can ruin their future,” said the party’s chief whip, Cheryllyn Dudley

The ACDP urged the ANCYL also to join a campaign for alcohol-free stadiums during the 2010 Soccer World Cup to maximise public safety.

“It is not a call for an entire ban on alcohol at that time; it is a call for a ban on alcohol in stadiums. Tensions build during football matches and are exacerbated by alcohol consumption resulting often in riots and bloodshed.”

The YCL said the call by the ANCYL should not be ridiculed for cheap and populist political scores.

“We see the call by the ANCYL as an opportunity for public engagement. Our approach is beyond the banning of liquor selling—we need to engage the youth on their behavioural patterns and a change of their lifestyle,” national secretary Buti Manamela said.

He said this would help the youth move away from anti-social behavioural patterns by the promotion of healthy lifestyles.

The YCL believes that a structured national dialogue, which includes civil society formations, organised liquor traders’ associations and relevant government institutions, would provide a strategic opportunity to solicit an informed approach in dealing with the “reckless and irresponsible selling and consumption of liquor by youths”.

“The YCL will approach the ANCYL and the South African Liquor Traders’ Association to convene a national summit, which will include various stakeholders to discuss critical issues such as:

the policies that govern or regulate the industry;

the introduction of recreational programmes in communities and schools;

the relocation of clubs and taverns within the proximity of schools and places of worship; and

the introduction and enforcement of the code of conduct by taverns and clubs owners.”

—Sapa