Drinking and driving continues to be a serious challenge in South Africa, driven by high alcohol consumption, social tolerance, and enforcement gaps, all contributing to preventable road fatalities, especially during the festive season.

To address this, AWARE.org hosted the Don’t Drink & Drive Seminar on October 16 at Rosebank’s Southern Sun Hotel.

Read more: How to report illegal drinking in Johannesburg

Under the theme Driving Action for Safer Roads, the event brought together representatives from government, law enforcement, the private sector, and civil society to develop practical strategies to reduce alcohol-related road harm in South Africa.

Mokebe Thulo, CEO of AWARE.org, welcomed stakeholders and said, “Our goal is to help build a society free from the harmful effects of alcohol. South Africans face many ills, some of which we can’t do anything about, but this is something we can solve through commitment and action.”

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The day’s discussions focused on closing critical gaps through a comprehensive strategy combining education, enforcement, prosecution, and rehabilitation.

The seminar added to the momentum of AWARE.org’s successful Road Safety Roundtable, held in the first quarter of 2025, where stakeholders acknowledged the urgent need for coordinated action to shift social acceptance of drinking and driving.

Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, reinforced the importance of behavioural change and public awareness in road safety, noting that even the most advanced infrastructure cannot compensate for irresponsible behaviour.

“Although we have seen a decrease in road fatalities, the sobering truth is that so long as we are losing lives, the work remains. As the Department of Transport, we remain steadfastly committed to our goal of reducing road fatalities by 50% by 2030.”

Sola Oke, managing director of Pernod Ricard Africa and AWARE.org board member, emphasised the urgency of collective action and noted that over the past year, AWARE.org, in collaboration with a number of stakeholders, conducted more than 10 000 roadblocks resulting in over 9 800 arrests for drunk driving.

The seminar aims to deliver tangible outcomes, including a draft roadmap for addressing critical gaps in alcohol-related road safety over the next 12-24 months, the development of collaboration frameworks with clearly defined roles, and the identification of hotspot areas requiring urgent intervention and resource allocation.

A pledge board signed by participants will serve as a public accountability mechanism, with progress updates to be shared with stakeholders and the public.

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