The perception of community towards alcohol abuse among teenagers in Shayandima Township, Limpopo Province

Abstract

Alcoholism among teenagers has become a major public health issue worldwide. South Africa is amongst the countries that are experiencing this problem. Abuse of alcohol has caused many social ills, namely road crashes, intentional and unintentional injuries, raping, and petty and high end crime in the community. Drinking amongst teenagers could be linked to personal and environmental factors including dysfunctional family structures and alcohol perception of elders in a particular community, which may view it as socially acceptable to drink, among other factors. The purpose of the study is to explore the perception of the community towards alcohol abuse among teenagers in Shayandima Township, Limpopo Province. The current study adopted a convergent mixed research design (both qualitative and quantitative) as well as a self administered questionnaire and semi-structured interview for data collection. A one-on-one interview was also conducted with 12 key informants in order to gather detailed qualitative data on the perception of the community regarding teenage alcohol abuse. In addition, a total of 50 respondents were involved in the quantitative study. They include social workers, ward councillors, members of Shayandima victim empowerment and community police forum members. The findings of this study revealed that there are policies put in place by government to address alcohol abuse by teenagers; however, the liquor sellers and the community members did not adhere to the rules and regulations. Liquor sellers violate the rules by selling liquor to teenagers, while the parents allow teenagers to go and buy liquor and enjoy the very same liquor with them. It was also found that that there was more violence in the community because of alcohol abuse. Parents tend to protect their children rather than supporting local authorities. Teenagers have access to alcohol at any time and any day because parents give them more money to spend, which makes it cheaper for them to buy alcohol. The findings further highlighted that the community was not well informed about the support rendered by those organizations that deal with teenage alcohol abuse. The study recommends that drastic measures should be taken against the liquor sellers who sell alcohol to teenagers. Their liquor licence should be revoked permanently. Government should strengthen their monitoring system regarding the liquor outlets. Only a business area must have liquor outlets, not the township residential areas and near public schools. Community-based organisations should be promoted to enhance community awareness and act against teenage alcohol abuse. Key words: Alcohol, Teenage, Alcohol Abuse, Community Perception, Shayandima Township