Cape Town - Underage drinking is so rife in South Africa that with the festive season in a few weeks, there are concerns that this will increase. According to Aware.org, 50% of teenagers in South Africa drink alcohol.

Ingrid Louw, the chief executive of aware.org, said underage drinking was reaching alarming levels with South African children drinking from as young as the age of 10.

“Underage drinking is one of the most serious challenges facing our children today. Our country is the sixth-largest consumer of alcohol in the world. To tackle this problem, we need to start the conversation earlier, and encourage every single person in South Africa to realise that they have a role to play. Past campaigns, which used shock tactics and sought to wag the finger at people, have not been effective,” she said.

Louw said no one should sell alcohol to minors, and a seller must make a reasonable effort to determine if the person buying booze was over 18.

Western Cape Liquor Traders Organisation (WCLTO), a body representing licensed and unlicensed township alcohol traders, said they were concerned that more illegal taverns would spring up during this festive season.