Rethink Your Drink ZA

17/06/2026

Look closely at the first image.

On the left stands Orlando Stadium, a historic sanctuary of resilience, now branded by Big Liqour. On the right, informal settlements where everyday people navigate a variety of socioeconomic challenges. Towering above it all? A massive casino billboard screaming “Jackpot City... We’ve got it all.”

This is the unsettling reality confronting Soweto, and the counttry at lage today.

It is a loud visual reminder of an agenda that prioritises profit over people. While our communities fight for basic resources, corporate giants place predatory marketing in the heart of our neighbourhoods, normalising heavy drinking and gambling under the guise of entertainment.

Yesterday, on June 16th, we marched to say, ENOUGH!

The brave youth of 1976 fought for dignity and autonomy. Today, liberation involves protecting our environments from corporate gain at the expense of public health, safety and wellbeing.

This isn’t just disrespectful. It’s an insult.

We refuse to let corporate greed dictate the landscape of our lives, and the lives of our children. The time for polite debate is over. Protecting our youth from Biq Liqour marketing is an absolute necessity, and we are demanding structural change NOW!

Swipe through to see how we reclaimed our streets yesterday. ➡️

What do you think when you look at this image? Let us know in the comments. 👇🏽

28/05/2026

Hunger is not just an empty plate. 🛑

It’s a family choosing between electricity and groceries. It’s a child growing up where healthy food is too expensive, but alcohol is too easy to access.

South Africa produces enough food. The real problem is access, affordability, and corporate profiteering.
At Rethink Your Drink, we know addressing alcohol harm is a necessary part of this conversation too.

When money is tight, alcohol harm drains the little cash families have left for food and care. Plus, alcohol use during pregnancy risks low birth weight and stunting.
Ending hunger takes systemic reform, not just charity.

Today, 28th May 2026 is World Hunger Day. Across 28 communities in 7 provinces, people are rising up to demand:

🛒 Food Justice: Big retailers must drop essential food prices by 20%.
🇿🇦 State Action: Government must fund the National Food Plan to tackle the cost of living.
👶 Children Before Profit: We need strict liquor laws and safer environments so kids can thrive.

✊Stand with the movement. Join us to demand dignity for all at unionagainsthunger.org/join

RethinkYourDrink

26/05/2026

Alcohol pricing is not just a tax issue. It is a public health issue.

When alcohol is cheap and easy to access, families, children and communities carry the cost. That is why Rethink Your Drink is calling for pricing reform that puts people before profit.

National Treasury is hosting an Alcohol Tax Review Technical Workshop on 04 June 2026.

The workshop will look at the proposed tier system for wine and beer, including how alcohol tax can:

1️⃣ Create a fairer structure for wine
2️⃣ Encourage lower alcohol content, especially in beer
3️⃣ Help reduce harm linked to cheap, high strength alcohol

This matters because alcohol pricing affects what people buy, how much they drink, and the harms communities are left to manage.

We need public health voices, civil society, researchers, community leaders and people with lived experience in the room.

📅 04 June 2026
⏰ 09h00 to 13h00
📍 MS Teams

Your voice matters. Register, attend, and help push for alcohol policy that protects people.

19/05/2026

Over the weekend, we travelled to the Eastern Cape for an important coalition gathering hosted alongside Chief Nkosi, the Mavuso Great Place Community, and SAAPA (Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance).

The goal? A deeply needed conversation about alcohol excise tax, excessive alcohol consumption within our communities, its impact on the youth, and how we can push for policy and interventions that put public health over corporate profit.

Here are a few key takeaways from our time there:

 🤝 It takes a village: Real alcohol harm reduction won’t just come from policy briefings and official paperwork. It requires true, community-facing intervention and direct engagement. 

🗣️ The importance of voice: We need to safe platforms for community members to share their lived experiences.

Real change starts when we stop working in isolation and start collaborating for the greater good, but there is still a long way to go.

Let’s keep building together. 🇿🇦

 

20/04/2026

⚖️Longer liquor trading hours are not just a business decision.

They affect homes, roads, clinics, trauma units and communities.

The Northern Cape High Court has declared parts of the Northern Cape Gambling and Liquor Act unconstitutional after finding that the public was not given a meaningful opportunity to comment on major changes to the law.

The amendments would have allowed alcohol to be sold for longer hours, including until 2 a.m. at many bars, taverns and other venues.

As the Court made clear, democratic law-making requires openness, inclusion and meaningful public participation.

When liquor laws affect people’s health, safety and dignity, communities must be heard.

Visit dgmt.co.za for our full statement and access to the judgement.

19/02/2026

Europe and North America are drinking less. Big Alcohol is looking for growth elsewhere, and South Africa is firmly in the target zone.

In a new Daily Maverick opinion piece, our campaign manager Kashifa Ancer unpacks what this shift can mean on the ground: more marketing, more pressure on weaker regulation, and more harm carried by communities already stretched thin.

A few realities we cannot ignore
• Alcohol is present in a significant share of homicide cases
• Alcohol is a factor in a quarter of traffic deaths linked to driver error
• When alcohol becomes cheaper and easier to access, harm increases

This is why Treasury’s current pricing reform discussions matter. Evidence-based measures like excise reform and minimum unit pricing can reduce heavy drinking and prevent deaths.

Read the full piece via the link in Stories.

As drinking declines in Europe and North America, global alcohol companies are shifting their growth strategy towards emerging markets – including South Africa. Public health advocates warn that incre…

13/02/2026

SONA 2026 put alcohol harm where it belongs: at the centre of child protection and prevention 🇿🇦

The President explicitly linked excessive alcohol use to child stunting, violence, road deaths and crime, and called for action that can reduce harm in real ways.

🔵 What the President called for
• Provinces to limit the density of liquor outlets
• Provinces to restrict trading hours
• Provinces to end the sale of alcohol in large containers
• National consultation on minimum unit pricing or higher excise duties
• Stronger restrictions on alcohol advertising

This aligns with the National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children (NSAAC)👶🏽🛡️

Alcohol harm is not inevitable. It is preventable.
Now we need delivery

09/02/2026

Cheap alcohol comes at a high price.

It is paid for through higher healthcare costs, policing, social services, and lost productivity.

When alcohol is sold too cheaply, the public carries the cost.

With just days away, will our president () tackle alcohol harm head on?

03/02/2026

We know what works. We have the research. We have the data. We have communities ready to be part of the solution.

What is needed now is political will.

Is 2026 the year our government shows up?

29/01/2026

📢🧠 Putting health and safety ahead of alcohol industry profits is long overdue.

Alcohol harm places a heavy burden on South Africa’s healthcare system, policing, lost income, and social services. Yet alcohol remains cheap, widely available, and heavily marketed especially in communities already under pressure.

The evidence is clear. Higher alcohol availability and lower prices are linked to increased violence, road crashes, hospital admissions, and child neglect. Stronger pricing and regulation reduce harm, without banning alcohol.