6 June 2013
Young people in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria learned about the effects of alcohol and drug abuse as the Department of Trade and Industry’s National Liquor Authority kicked off its Youth Month campaign on Wednesday.
Youngsters from Mamelodi and its surrounds came out in their numbers to learn about the opportunities available to help them turn their lives around in a positive manner.
Those who attended the session were given an opportunity to interact with officials from the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the Gauteng Liquor Board, who emphasised the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.
They were advised on how to use their skills so to participate in the economy by creating their own employment.
Alternatives like the formation of cooperatives and the formalisation and registration of businesses were presented to the young people by the Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission (CIPC).
The DTI said the campaign aimed to encourage young people to use their time and energy to grapple constructively with the challenges that they face, such as unemployment and HIV/Aids
The Liquor Act of 2003, which is administered by the National Liquor Authority (NLA), requires the department to take steps to reduce the socio-economic costs of alcohol abuse in the country.
The Act also requires the NLA to promote the development of a sustainable liquor industry in a manner that instils the ethos of social responsibility.
Source: SAnews.gov.za
