KZN Liquor Authority launches new underage drinking campaign
The KZN Liquor Authority says it's set a new target to prevent underage drinking in the province.
The authority's Carol Mbhele says they are faced with a number of reports of underage alcohol abuse.
"Underage drinking, learners accessing alcohol, one may even sight the recent tragedy in Enyobeni Tavern in the Easter Cape."
The regulatory body launched a school visit programme to educate pupils and raise awareness about the harmful effects of underage drinking.
Mbhele says they kicked their campaign off at Vikingozi Secondary School in KwaMakutha, south of Durban, where socio-economic challenges have become a glaring problem.
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She says that based on the school's profiling data, 630 of its students are having to deal with issues like teenage pregnancy and drug abuse.
Mbhele says they're also working with the local liquor forum on programs aimed at reducing the effects of alcohol abuse in the community.
"Ours is to foster a message of empowerment and also equip the learners with information and resources and the detrimental effect of alcohol abuse at such a young age."
