Sonke Gender Justice says South Africans should tread carefully after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that alcohol trading hours have been extended and will now be more easily accessible.
The Commission for Gender Equality has been looking into alcohol and substance abuse as contributing factors to the high rates of gender-based violence and femicide in the country.
Lucky Ntimane reacts to normal trading hours being restored for retail liquor outlets:
Sonke Gender Justice’s, Reverend Bafana Khumalo, says there’s a direct link between the availability of alcohol and the rise in incidents of women and child abuse.
“As we head towards the problematic season of our festivities in this country, I want to suggest colleagues that we urgently need a serious review of the laws relating to alcohol access and use taking into account the related social ills related to this matter. More educational programmes are needed to ensure that particularly young people have a greater appreciation of the ills related to the abuse of alcohol and substances.”
