By Petronella Sibeene
WINDHOEK
The festive season is here. It is time to eat, drink and be merry. Often though, the Christmas spirit carries people away and they end up over-indulging in alcohol.
The consequence of such behaviour is an increase in the number of murders, rape and assaults during the festive season as well as general lawlessness.
Although society condemns these occurrences, the festive season means boosts sales for national booze suppliers.
Already, the volume of sales at bottle stores have started picking up and by Christmas, the nation will be drowning in liquor.
Namibia Breweries Corporate Affairs Manager Gideon Shilongo described the festive season as a time when the alcohol sales in the country are great.
According to Shilongo, “The sales are great because it is time for celebrations, weddings and all … the demand for the product is high”. He could however not provide consumption figures.
He was quick however, to point to the company’s social responsibility efforts and said Namibia Breweries is part of the Xupifa Eemwenyo campaign run by the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA).
“We always say if you enjoy yourself (drink), do not drive and if you drive do not drink,” said Shilongo. The same message, applies during the festive season, he added.
The company not only supplies alcoholic beverages but like its competitor, Namibia Beverages also supplies soft drinks to law enforcement officers during this period.
The two companies generously donate soft drinks to ensure that law enforcement officers are sober when on duty monitoring national roads.
The Namibia Taxi and Bus Association (Nabta) also warned that although there is no law on paper that empowers the association to enforce disciplinary action against passengers using public transport, their members would report those overindulging in alcohol on national roads to the relevant authorities.
President of Nabta Magnus Nangombe confirmed that during the festive season some people tend to travel while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol.
He added that sometimes such people put pressure on the driver to increase the speed and sometimes they just become a nuisance and disturb other passengers.
“We have advised all drivers to report anyone in such a condition to law enforcement agencies,” said Nangombe.
What is Alcohol?
According to Minister of Health and Social Services Dr Richard Kamwi, alcohol is a potent drug that depresses the central nervous system and changes the way people think and feel. Alcohol refers to drinks such as beer, homebrew, wine or spirits containing ethyl alcohol – a substance that can cause drunkenness and change moods and emotions.
Alcohol abuse
Alcohol consumption remains high in the country with the year 2006 recording more than a thousand people admitted to hospitals for alcohol-related mental disorders.
Following the launch of the Coalition on Responsible Drinking (CORD) in the Karas region recently Minister Kamwi said based on the health information system of last year:
– In Namibia, 1ǟ