Nearly 8, 000 motorists were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol during the recent festive season, highlighting the ongoing challenge of alcohol abuse in South Africa.
According to statistics released by the South African Police Service (SAPS), a total of 7, 920 drivers were arrested for drunk driving during festive season Operation Shanela II.
Five-week campaign
Over the five-week period, police managed to nab 105, 073 offenders. In the first week alone, 16, 509 suspects were arrested. These were all for various offences. Authorities arrested 771 motorists for drunk driving and seized 62, 809 litres of alcohol.
During the second week, arrests rose slightly to 16, 817 (for various offences). And 25, 117 litres of alcohol and 128 unlicensed firearms were confiscated. A further 1, 210 suspects were taken into custody for driving under the influence.
Enforcement intensified in the third week, resulting in 18, 781 arrests, including 2, 520 for drunk driving. In the fourth week, police arrested 16, 692 suspects for various offences. And 1, 603 motorists were charged with drunk driving.
The fifth week concluded with approximately 16, 000 arrests. Among them were 1, 816 motorists detained for driving under the influence.
Nationwide operation
These included crimes such as car hijacking, rape, murder, robbery and drug-related offences. This underscores the scale of criminal activity addressed during the nationwide operation.
Against this backdrop, the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) have recently announced the launch of a multidisciplinary research initiative to investigate the political, economic and social drivers of harmful alcohol use in the country.
South Africa is ranked among the countries with the highest levels of heavy episodic drinking globally.
Alcohol consumption is estimated to contribute to about 7% of the national disease burden.
Its harmful effects are closely linked to major public health and social challenges. And these include gender-based violence, trauma-related injuries, and increased risks of HIV and tuberculosis infection.
Alcohol abuse
The Western Cape, in particular, has one of the highest reported rates of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders in the world.
“This is the first large-scale study in southern Africa to map the entire alcohol environment from industry supply chains to community-level drinking norms and link these to health and social outcomes,” said Richard Matzopoulos, the project leader.
Matzopoulos is an honorary professor at UCT and head of the SAMRC’s Burden of Disease Research Unit.
“We want to understand not just who drinks and how much. But why harmful drinking is so entrenched and what levers exist for change,” he said.
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