SANCA National in partnership with the âI love Alexâ project launches a Responsible Beverage Services (RBS) Initiative in Alexandra Township.
SANCA National has been appointed as the implementation partner of the
new Responsible Beverage Services (RBS) Initiative targeting licensed
liquor traders in Alexandra Township. The âI love Alexâ project is a
public private initiative, which is one of six global city pilot
projects funded by AB inBev Foundation across the globe. These projects
pioneer and test evidence-based programs and innovations that address
drunk driving, underage drinking, binge drinking, or other issues of
local relevance, including alcohol related violence. Currently the I
Love Alex project is implementing a number of programs in the Alexandra
community including the screening and brief intervention (SBI),expansion and upgrade of the Alcohol Evidence Centre at the Metro Police Departmentâs (JMPD) Marlboro Testing Centre, and others.These programs are aimed at increasing enforcement, training primary care practitioners, supporting legislative reforms, developing campaigns to shift social norms, and more.
RBS is a community-based approach to reducing the risks associated with
the sale of alcohol by licensed liquor traders in Alexandra. The initiative is currently recruiting 60 licensed liquor traders around Alexandra, to join the programme and participate as key influencers in preventing the sale of alcohol to minors, reduction of excessive alcohol consumption and in addressing other alcohol related harms at community level.
Recruitment is the first phase in the many intervention steps that will
be carried over a period of one year in partnership with key stakeholders that include; Gauteng Liquor Board, South African Police Services, the Department of Health, Department of Education, the Alex Community Policing Forum and South African Breweries.
Liquor traders can expect intensive education and training, support in terms of laws and regulations, good business practise and staying profitable, tools to equip them to be good âfirst-line ambassadorsâ in their efforts to reduce under-age drinking as well as excessive drinking. They should also expect great prizes that will see them upgrade their establishments to be safer and more secure for their customers.
SANCA as one of the specialists in the alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment, see this partnership initiative as an opportunity for the
organisation to lead in collective partnerships and industry collaborations aiming to find lasting solutions to social ills resulting from alcohol abuse in South Africa. âFor us to really see the impact, we need to learn to work together, leverage our limited resources in terms of budgets, insights and expertise. This is a huge societal issue
that we cannot solve by only pointing fingersâ said Clara Monnakgotla (SANCA
RBS Project Manager)
âWe are excited to be finally launching this project in Alex. It is important for us to collaborate and put to centre and support liquor traders to be part of the solution to harmful alcohol use in Alexandra,encourage them to lead the movement as we find best practices that can be expanded to other communitiesâ said Thoko Budaza (AB inBev Foundation).
