The City of Cape Town says it is cautiously optimistic following a 20% decline in the amount of alcohol confiscated at its beaches during the festive season. According to the city, law enforcement officials seized over 17,000 bottles of alcohol between October last year and January 2024. It said Camps Bay, Clifton, Muizenberg, Seapoint, and Hout Bay Beach are some of the public drinking hotspot areas during the festive season […]
INTERNATIONAL A Qatari broadcaster has denied that it had any plans to institute a three-minute broadcast delay for the World Cup matches in order to block homosexual activity or alcohol consumption and smoking. A document circulated on social media on Friday purporting to be a directive issued to beIN Sports from the Qatar Media Corporation - the public broadcasting network - said the outlet should censor imagery that depicted "alcohol consumption or smoking" as […]
NATIONAL Tobacco experts have questioned why government has not pursued similar regulation for the alcohol industry. It comes as the Tobacco and Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill prepares to reach Parliament. Stakeholders agree alcohol causes much greater harm than tobacco, particularly during the festive season. The Health Department concluded a series of policy webinars yesterday. VOC Photo: VerywellMind
The Liquor Traders Association says while alcohol abuse remains one of the biggest contributors to crime in South Africa - the public has an equal responsibility to curb the crisis. Police Minister Bheki Cele released the latest crime statistics on Friday – showing very high contact crime in communities with many liquor outlets. The statistics show that between April and June, 227 people lost their lives in places of entertainment, […]
LOCAL Toxicologist Dr Gerhard Verdoorn says it is concerning that the exact cause of death of the 21 young people at the Enyobeni tavern in the Eastern Cape has still not been revealed. Preliminary toxicology reports are pointing to methanol poisoning as a possible cause of the deaths. Methanol is a type of alcohol used in cleaning products and pesticides, but it is poisonous to humans. Verdoorn says further investigations should be […]
LOCAL President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to attend the mass funeral for victims of the Enyobeni tavern tragedy has sparked fierce debate, with some claiming he should stay away and others calling for him to take action against underage drinking. Ramaphosa will on Wednesday attend the funeral service for 21 young people who died at the tavern in Scenery Park in East London last month. The 12 girls and nine boys […]
There are growing calls for residents in the Western Cape to adhere to lockdown regulations this long weekend. This comes as the province hit its peak of the COVID-19 third wave this week. With over 41, 000 infections, the Cape accounts for more than a quarter of the nation's active caseload. Western Cape authorities are calling on residents to ensure they stick to all health safety rules this long weekend. […]
Gauteng police are investigating an incident in which two officers were attacked and had their vehicle torched in Muldersdrift west of Johannesburg. The two were attending to a complaint of disturbance of public peace at an unlicenced liquor outlet in the Video informal settlement yesterday when patrons drinking at the tavern attacked them. Police spokesperson Mathapelo Peters says the owner of the outlet has been arrested for contravening the lockdown […]
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security in the City of Cape Town, JP Smith, says law enforcement agencies will focus on enforcing compliance of alcohol laws over the festive season. He was speaking in Philippi during the launch of a safer festive season campaign. Smith says they have strengthened their working relations with the provincial government and police: “For us road enforcement is a primary component of what we […]
VOC became the first Muslim radio station in South Africa when a special events license was granted to the station in Ramadan/January 1995. Subsequent temporary broadcast licenses were granted, permitting the station to broadcast for 24 hours.
