Phuza Wize Campaign

The Phuza Wize campaign was be incorporated into the 10th season of the Soul City television series. The storyline for Series 10 contained messages which were aimed at encouraging South Africans to change the way they drink alcohol. Viewers were introduced to three families whose lives are touched by tragedy as a result of alcohol abuse and violence. A young couple are also forced to fight for their love as the far reaching effects of unsafe drinking threaten to rip apart families and friends.

The advocacy component has included engaging with various government departments and lobbying for legislative change and a holistic policy in the Departments of Health, Transport, Trade and Industry, Social Development, and Education. In 2010, Soul City hosted a number of round table discussions in Durban and Johannesburg, during which experts briefed journalists and led discussions with celebrities and shebeen owners on the campaign. In 2011 Phuza Wize partnered with the Mail & Guardian newspaper to create a series of Critical Thinking Forums covering topics such as Alcohol Advertising, the proposed Health Promotion Foundation, and a Comprehensive Alcohol Policy. A resource kit was developed for journalists which includes campaign documents, research documents, and story ideas.

The campaign also has a Phuza Wize website that contains articles and information about alcohol abuse and violence, as well as how to create safer drinking spaces and alcohol-free zones.

The social mobilisation component of the project was initially focused on ten communities and included training, capacity building, community mobilisation, and working with other stakeholders. This has since expanded to incorporate communities under the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ Community Works Programme (CWP), managed by the Seriti Institute. These communities have received campaign and advocacy training. This includes working with schools to help them become alcohol-free zones and engaging taverns and shebeens to make them safer according to the campaign Safer Social Spaces (S3) criteria. These are:
SAFER
1. Have good lighting, clean toilets and security.
SOCIAL
2. Do not sell to intoxicated people.
3. Do not sell to children under the age of 18 years.
4. Do not sell to visibly pregnant women.
SPACES
5. No more than 3 people per square meter.
6. Sell food and non-alcoholic drinks; and make water available
7. Have clear defined serving area inside and outside.
8. Display safe sex messages and condoms.
9. Encourage customers not to drink and drive.
10. Opening and closing times - 14h00 to 20h00 (Sun); 13h00 to 20h00 (Mon – Thur); and 13h00 to 24h00 (Fri – Sat)

HIV/AIDS, Violence, Alcohol

According to research, more than half of the victims of non-fatal and fatal violence test positive for alcohol in urban areas. Most violence-related deaths occur on Saturdays and Sundays when binge drinking is common. Binge drinking is defined as having 5 or more drinks in a day. Alcohol is involved in nearly half of the cases of family violence. The campaign is based on the WHO’s 10 interventions that have been shown and are scientifically credible, to reduce violence. The Phuza Wize campaign is based on 5 of these:

• Increase safe, stable, and nurturing relationships between children and their parents and caregivers
• Reduce availability and misuse of alcohol
• Improve life skills and enhance opportunities for children and youth
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Change cultural norms that support violence

International experience indicates that changing drinking environments and reducing the availability of alcohol have had an effect on reducing incidents of violence.