On September 18, 2013, the South African Cabinet approved the Control of Marketing of Alcohol Beverages Bill. The Bill aims to diminish alcohol abuse in South Africa by limiting the advertising, sponsorship, and promotion of alcoholic beverages.
It is not certain whether the Bill seeks to ban or merely regulate marketing of alcohol. A prior version of the Bill, leaked to the press in 2012, proposed to ban all forms of alcohol branding, including wine bottle labels, signage, and even logos on delivery trucks.
Currently alcohol advertising is regulated by the Liquor Act 59 of 2003, which outlines the guidelines for liquor advertising. The alcohol industry is also self-regulated by the Code of Commercial Communication of Alcohol Beverages, something to which most companies and advertisers adhere.
Due to strong disagreements on the adverse economic impact of the Bill, it was decided that, before it is published in the local journal for public comment, an Independent Regulatory Impact Assessment should be conducted to investigate the economic and societal impact of the bill.
After the impact assessment is conducted, the Bill will be published for public comment and then proceed to Parliament for a final vote.
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