Actor Warren Masemola’s brave truth at Presley Chweneyagae’s funeral at the weekend must be a wake-up call on alcohol abuse. It is a message we all desperately needed to hear.
“Please, may we just call it?” he said, while delivering a powerful eulogy that struck a chord with the nation. “You have children at home; go home, your family needs you. We can’t wake up with alcohol at 7 in the morning and go home at 5am the following day. That’s 22 hours of being on the streets drinking alcohol. Ha se maemo [It’s not fashionable]”, he said.
Alcohol abuse, he continued, is not just a personal issue – it is tearing families apart, fuelling gender-based violence and leading our youth astray under the guise of being trendy and fun.
Masemola’s warning – spoken not to shame, but to awaken – should scare all of us.
SA’s alcohol crisis is well-documented. We rank among the highest globally in alcohol-related deaths, injuries and social harm.
According to research, every day, at least 171 people die from alcohol-related causes – that’s more than 62,000 deaths each year. Worse still, 60% of gender-based violence cases involve alcohol and 60% of fatal road crashes are attributed to drunk driving.
A recent study by Frontline Research Group, focusing on young people’s perceptions of messages regarding underage drinking reveals that, despite increased awareness, peer pressure and exposure to drinking in families are still major contributors to early alcohol use.
The culture of excessive drinking, glamorised by social media and normalised in youth circles, is fast becoming a silent pandemic. Hookah lounges and bars are filled with young people, all while our communities crumble under the weight of addiction, broken homes and violence.
Alcohol is embedded so deeply in the fabric of our society that speaking out against it, especially at a funeral, is seen as controversial. But that’s precisely why Masemola’s words matter.
It is time to stop pretending that this is just a “lifestyle choice”. Alcohol abuse is a social ill.
Recognising the effects of irresponsible alcohol use, the government is also proposing an increase in the alcohol excise tax. This measure, along with calls for minimum unit pricing, is designed to reduce excessive consumption of alcohol, especially among poor communities.
Public health experts agree that raising alcohol prices is the most effective way to reduce its harm.
But this is only one piece of the puzzle. Community action, education and cultural change are equally critical.
Alcohol is marketed as empowerment and escape, yet it is too often a path to exploitation, violence, and silence. We need to disrupt this narrative, loudly and unapologetically, as Masemola dared to do.
SOWETAN SAYS | Alcohol abuse tears fabric of SA apart
The culture of excessive drinking is fast becoming a silent pandemic
Actor Warren Masemola’s brave truth at Presley Chweneyagae’s funeral at the weekend must be a wake-up call on alcohol abuse. It is a message we all desperately needed to hear.
“Please, may we just call it?” he said, while delivering a powerful eulogy that struck a chord with the nation. “You have children at home; go home, your family needs you. We can’t wake up with alcohol at 7 in the morning and go home at 5am the following day. That’s 22 hours of being on the streets drinking alcohol. Ha se maemo [It’s not fashionable]”, he said.
Alcohol abuse, he continued, is not just a personal issue – it is tearing families apart, fuelling gender-based violence and leading our youth astray under the guise of being trendy and fun.
Masemola’s warning – spoken not to shame, but to awaken – should scare all of us.
SA’s alcohol crisis is well-documented. We rank among the highest globally in alcohol-related deaths, injuries and social harm.
According to research, every day, at least 171 people die from alcohol-related causes – that’s more than 62,000 deaths each year. Worse still, 60% of gender-based violence cases involve alcohol and 60% of fatal road crashes are attributed to drunk driving.
A recent study by Frontline Research Group, focusing on young people’s perceptions of messages regarding underage drinking reveals that, despite increased awareness, peer pressure and exposure to drinking in families are still major contributors to early alcohol use.
The culture of excessive drinking, glamorised by social media and normalised in youth circles, is fast becoming a silent pandemic. Hookah lounges and bars are filled with young people, all while our communities crumble under the weight of addiction, broken homes and violence.
Alcohol is embedded so deeply in the fabric of our society that speaking out against it, especially at a funeral, is seen as controversial. But that’s precisely why Masemola’s words matter.
It is time to stop pretending that this is just a “lifestyle choice”. Alcohol abuse is a social ill.
Recognising the effects of irresponsible alcohol use, the government is also proposing an increase in the alcohol excise tax. This measure, along with calls for minimum unit pricing, is designed to reduce excessive consumption of alcohol, especially among poor communities.
Public health experts agree that raising alcohol prices is the most effective way to reduce its harm.
But this is only one piece of the puzzle. Community action, education and cultural change are equally critical.
Alcohol is marketed as empowerment and escape, yet it is too often a path to exploitation, violence, and silence. We need to disrupt this narrative, loudly and unapologetically, as Masemola dared to do.