THE TRUE COST OF ALCoHOL

SAAPA ALCOHOL TAXATION POLICY CAMPAIGN

The True Cost of Alcohol is a national civil-society campaign to save lives, reduce harm and restore dignity through targeted alcohol tax reform. Alcohol taxation and pricing policies are among the most effective and cost-effective alcohol control measures.

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MAYDAY. MAYDAY. This is a national alert!!
MAYDAY. MAYDAY.🚨
This is a national alert.‼️

This May Day, we are sounding the alarm to communities, leaders and policymakers across South Africa to recognise the true cost of alcohol.

What looks like choice is often a system.
A system built on availability, marketing, affordability and normalisation.

A system where the profits rise, while our communities are left drowning in the consequences.
The true cost of alcohol is not what you pay at the till.
It is paid in overburdened healthcare, unsafe communities, lost productivity and social harm that impacts us all.

Throughout May, this campaign will unpack the system behind alcohol harm.
We will expose how availability drives consumption, how marketing shapes behaviour, how affordability sustains the cycle, and how the real cost is carried by society.

MAYDAY is the signal.🚨

An alert to shift how we understand alcohol harm.
An alert to move from individual blame to systemic accountability.
An alert to act.
Because until we see the system, we cannot change the outcome.

#MaydaySA #TrueCostOfAlcohol #SAAPA

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Campaign and Communications Update
SAAPA SA prioritizes ensuring that both civil society and policymakers receive the evidence necessary to implement effective alcohol policies. Prior to the 2026 National Budget, we dispatched an SOS-style evidence-based briefing to all parliamentarians and political parties, outlining the critical role of excise tax and the socio-economic impacts of alcohol.

SAAPA SA and “The True Cost of Alcohol” campaign is not affiliated with any political party.

Our mandate is driven by independent research, aligned with The National Drug Master Plan for public health advocacy to foster an #AlcoholSAFER South Africa.

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Nomcebo Dlamini Participated in a High-Level Panel at GAPC 2026
SAAPA SA’s True Cost of Alcohol Campaign Director, Nomcebo Dlamini, participated in a high-level panel at GAPC 2026 alongside delegates from Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines to discuss “The True Cost of Alcohol: Traditional Leadership, Civil Society, and Fiscal Policy Advocacy in South Africa.”

Leveraging the governance of National House of the Traditional and Khoisan leaders representing 19 million people, the campaign seeks to transition the fiscal narrative from revenue generation to social protection. This technical shift supports a strategic call to increase excise tax as a primary public health intervention to mitigate the externalized costs of alcohol harm, demonstrating a replicable, community-driven model for the Global South.

#SAAPASA #TheTrueCostOfAlcohol #increaseexcisetaxonalcohol

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PARTNERS OF THIS CAMPAIGN

TRUE COST OF ALCoHOL

Leading the Fight for Health Over Harm 

Alcohol harm isn’t just a health issue, it’s a national crisis. Through stronger policies and higher taxes, we can save lives, protect communities, and build a healthier future.

The Problem
Alcohol harm is devastating South Africa, fueling violence, and stealing lives.
What We Are Advocating For
We’re pushing for targeted alcohol tax reform. Higher taxes, fewer harms, more lives saved.
Our Driving Force
This campaign is about justice, dignity, and putting people before profit.

THIS CAMPAIGN IS SUPPORTED BY THE RESET ALCOHOL INITIATIVE

Why This CAMPAIGN Matters for South Africa

WHY SHOULD YOU care?

Alcohol harm has a cost far beyond the bottle. It fuels violence, burdens hospitals, and steals potential from families and communities across South Africa. Yet, behind every statistic lies a story, of a life cut short, a family broken, a community left struggling. The True Cost of Alcohol campaign was created to confront this reality.

It’s a national movement led by civil society to save lives, reduce harm, and restore dignity through targeted alcohol tax reform. By raising prices and reducing easy access, we can slow consumption, prevent deaths, and shift the burden of alcohol harm away from the public and back onto the industry that profits from it.

Evidence shows that increasing alcohol excise taxes is one of the most effective and affordable ways to protect public health, reducing harm while generating revenue that can fund healthcare, education, and prevention. This campaign stands for a simple truth: when alcohol costs more, South Africa pays less.

Learn More About Alcohol in SA

Here’s the evidence driving the call for change - The numbers tell a story that’s too big to ignore - Here’s the evidence driving the call for change - The numbers tell a story that’s too big to ignore - Here’s the evidence driving the call for change - The numbers tell a story that’s too big to ignore - Here’s the evidence driving the call for change -