Control, don’t ban alcohol

ON NOVEMBER 10 the Daily Dispatch carried the headline “ANCYL says it wants ‘a right to party’”. This article spoke briefly about the ANCYL perspective on BCM’s proposed alcohol ban at Marina Glen, popularly known as eBuhlanti.

It’s our view this headline was misleading and not in line with the issues we raised and as such we want to set the record straight.

In the main we raise four key issues about BCM’s decision to ban alcohol at eBuhlanti: 1. Creation of an inclusive city; 2. Development of the Buffalo City beachfront; 3. Promotion of responsible drinking and regulation of the use of alcohol; 4. Positioning of Buffalo City as a tourist destination and economic implications of the decision.

The development of the beachfront

THE state of the main Buffalo City beachfront (Eastern and Orient beach) is a disgrace, the infrastructure is dilapidated, there are no recreational facilities, very little economic activity and by any standard little or no development.

Our beaches are a natural endowment which should anchor and stimulate the economic development of the city. Correctly exploited they can help the city tackle the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. It is our considered view that much more effort is needed in unlocking the economic potential of Buffalo City’s coastline and pristine beaches.

Buffalo City should do much more to develop our beachfront in order to stimulate economic activity and provide more recreational facilities for locals and tourists.

It is from this premise we feel eBuhlanti, even though lacking in basic infrastructure, captures this tourist market. As such, we find it ill-advised that Buffalo City wants to jump on eBuhlanti, which by and large is the only real public recreational facility on the main beachfront which also has some form of economic activity.

Building an inclusive Buffalo City

In all debates about any form of development we have to unfortunately confront the legacy of exclusionary apartheid spatial planning. We are all quite aware that for a long time the main beaches were reserved for the exclusive use of whites. This was not only a product of regulation or enforcement but from a spatial point of view the apartheid cities were designed to reinforce and maintain these exclusively white spaces. This legacy remains in place and continues to exclude the majority in our city to fully access all our city has to offer, particularly when it comes to recreational and economic activities.

As the ANCYL we are not ashamed to state that eBuhlanti represents one of the few spaces in this city which is truly a liberated zone from this exclusionary legacy of apartheid spatial planning. eBuhlanti represents a thriving black space which facilitates the inclusion of the black working class who cannot afford to drink at the exclusive beachfront pubs or afford the expensive tickets to the many festivals generously sponsored by Buffalo City Municipality.

It is even more ironic that alcohol is allowed at these festivals sponsored by BCM.

The timing of enforcing this draconian regulation is conveniently in December, when the majority of those selling their labour, even those outside the province, have a few days and limited economic means of enjoying themselves.

Promotion of responsible drinking and regulation of the use of alcohol

As the ANCYL we fully support the many campaigns aimed at promoting responsible use of alcohol and as such we are in full support of Buffalo City’s “rave but behave” campaign. It is our view though that this campaign must focus on educating particularly young people about the dangers of alcohol abuse and the promotion of responsible drinking so as to target the root cause.

As such, we urge the city to commit more resources and strengthen the educational and awareness side of the campaign as this will have a long-term impact in terms of behavioural change in young people instead of a one-sided focus on enforcement.

The regulation in the use of alcohol works much better to support the responsible use of alcohol than just banning its use.

As such, it our view that simply banning alcohol at eBuhlanti, rather than finding alternatives to regulate its use in that space, will actually work against the intentions of the city to promote responsible drinking.

So it is our contention that Buffalo City Municipality should rather consider regulating the use of alcohol at eBuhlanti and as such creating a safe recreational environment that promotes responsible use of alcohol.

The economic implications

The ANCYL is worried that in practice the alcohol ban at eBuhlanti will have a detrimental impact on informal traders who do business at eBuhlanti. In a country like ours where there is an unemployment crisis, small enterprises like these should actually be receiving support from our city to grow them into sustainable enterprises.

As such, we call on Buffalo City to rather develop a comprehensive business model and support package to help these informal traders to thrive rather than regulate them out of business. In line with our earlier call that BCM should rather seek to regulate the activities of eBuhlanti, our call for a business model and support package will result in eBuhlanti becoming a great recreational facility for the people of BCM and beyond.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we are very far from demanding the so-called “right to party” but we are inviting a responsible debate that will ensure that in the end we can all find an amicable solution that is both beneficial to the city and its people.

Sthembiso Khanyile is the spokesman for the ANCYL in Buffalo City