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SA set to raise alcohol drinking age limit to 21
Retailers may face claims if they serve alcohol to people who are already drunk.
IN a step to reduce the cost and impact of alcohol abuse, South Africa may raise its drinking age and hold beverage companies liable for unlicensed trade in their products.
The government proposed increasing the minimum age for consuming alcohol to 21 from 18, the Department of Trade and Industry said in a notice published this week in the official Government Gazette.
The rules would require pubs, clubs and bottle stores to restrict times and trading areas for liquor sales. Retailers may face claims if they serve alcohol to people who are already drunk, the department said in the notice.
A third of all hospital admissions in South Africa are related to alcohol, and birth defects linked to drink are as much as 141 times higher than in the U.S., the document said. The World Health Organization estimates the cost of harmful use of alcohol in South Africa may exceed 10 percent of gross domestic product.
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