South Africa mulls improvements to its alcohol regulations, as the government is set to discuss increasing the legal age for alcohol use as well as a ban of prime time advertising.
If South African Cabinet approves a regulation contained in the draft liquor policy, prime time advertising of alcoholic beverages could soon be prohibited. The Cabinet is set to discuss the proposal to restrict the time for alcohol-related ads to 10pm-6am on TV channels. Under the current regulations alcohol ads are allowed to be aired from 5pm.
The new regulations would be a first step towards a complete ban of alcohol advertising in South Africa, and a step into the right direction of protecting minors from alcohol promotions.
The amended regulations also propose raising the minimum legal age for alcohol use from 18 to 21; and they propose to hold liquor suppliers and manufacturers accountable for damages arising when alcohol was sold to illegal traders.