South Africa will soon no longer see advertisements for alcohol such as the one pictured above. While there has been much speculation for some time now regarding this move--according to the country's health minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, the ban will definitely be taking place. "It's just a matter of time -- it's not an issue of whether, it's an issue of when," Motsoaledi told reporters and delegates on Tuesday at a World Health Organization (WHO) conference on violence prevention.
The urgency in the ban is correlated to the amount of violence within the country. Besides HIV, violence and injuries caused by violence are the top killer in South Africa (HIV kills 1.7 million, while violence kills 1.5 million people a year). Motsoaledi feels that "the driving factor behind [violence] is alcohol, the harmful effects of alcohol."
I feel that while this sounds like a drastic step in taking a stand against excessive drinking, Motsoaledi is only doing what he feels is best for the people of South Africa. I realize the harmful effect this will have on alcohol companies and establishments that sell alcohol, which lead to the overall stimulation of their economy, but the urgency of saving lives from violent crimes far exceeds the financial aspect. The only way to tell if this type of movement will be effective is to see how the events pan out over time.
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I agree with your stance on the ban and I hope that this can help stifle violence in South Africa. Although, I think that cigarettes are not allowed to be advertised on TV here and they're still selling immensely well.
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