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The Eastern Cape Liquor Board has noticed a spike in underage drinking and alcohol consumption in schools in the Province.
A Spokesperson for the Board Mgwebi Msiya told ALGOAFM News that they have been receiving reports about learners who bring liquor to school to consume it on school grounds.
A concerned Msiya says this led the board to undertake an underage drinking awareness campaign to promote responsible trading.
This campaign started on Tuesday in the Alfred Ndzo and OR Tambo Districts and will continue until Friday.
"We are intensifying the fight against underage drinking by sensitising learners about the detriments of consuming liquor to both their studies and health. High crime statistics are attributed to alcohol and substance abuse in these areas," says Msiya.
He stressed that this platform will also be used to make young girls aware of alcohol-related social challenges that affect women, such as Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, Rape, including other risks.
The Board will be targetting 15 schools in both districts this week.
SAPS and the Department of Social Development will form part of this campaign.
The aim is to ensure that schools are alcohol-free and that traders who are situated in close proximity to schools adhere to their licencing conditions.
The legal drinking age in South Africa is 18, needless to say, that many matrics are already 18 or in some instances, 19-years-old, however selling alcohol to pupils in school uniforms is not allowed.
