The South African Breweries (SAB) wrapped up its national radio drama series with an industrial theatre activation at Baragwanath taxi rank. The key message of the play was responsible drinking.
The industrial theatre was a surprise and delight to many commuters as the lively drama captivated the local audience. “We know that well-executed activations have the potential to generate engagement and education, so our aim was to amplify our message of responsible drinking and to land this key information in an entertaining way,” said SAB’s Corporate Brand Director, Sphe Vundla.
The industrial theatre was performed by Phiwokuhle Mazibuko and Sandile Makhoba and the premise of the script was based on the audio drama series, aptly named Zikhethele – Isinqumo Ngesakho, loosely translated as “Make a decision - The choice is yours”. The series was structured to be interactive and included an innovative engagement technique that encouraged the audience to vote at the end of each episode. In doing so the audience vote would influence the decisions of the characters for the upcoming episode. This voting mechanism shaped the storyline as the audience provided input to help the actors navigate some tough choices about responsible drinking.
Vundla added, “We saw this activation as a unique opportunity for us to engage with our communities, and we used it to increase awareness around SAB Sharp and educate our consumers. The recent Baragwanath taxi rank activation was one such example. However, our eye is always on our goal to reduce drink driving, which is a cornerstone of our SAB Sharp programme.”
SAB’s Drive Sharp empowers South African authorities to enforce interventions to deter drink driving. The programme focuses on reducing alcohol-related vehicle accidents through various initiatives, including partnering with local authorities to enforce regulations and discourage drink driving. “We believe that no matter the reason, or how near or far the destination, it’s always better to have “none for the road” said Vundla.
Playing its part, SAB has invested in 10 Alcohol Evidence Centres (AEC) established around the country. Seven of them are Johannesburg-based mobile AEC’s and one of which is a brick and mortar centre in Soweto. It was handed over late last year with through a partnership with SAB and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD). The AECs are equipped with state-of-the-art testing gear to test blood alcohol levels and accelerate the prosecution of offenders.
SAB’s goals for 2025 include a reduction in alcohol-related road incidents in hotspot areas; a commitment to helping the authorities to enforce regulations to deter drink driving through Alcohol Evidence Centers. To do so SAB is providing world class infrastructure and technology to process drink driving arrests and enable faster testing turnaround times.
Vundla concludes, “All our efforts, programmes and initiatives such as this activation, are underpinned by one very important goal: to champion responsibility in South Africa. As adults in society, we have the agency to make the right choices and be a positive influence to others when it comes to responsibility. With so much at stake, we urge South Africans to get behind us. Pledge your commitment to responsibility by signing the SAB Sharp Charter here” If you missed the weekly episodes of Zikhethele – Isinqumo Ngesakho you can listen to them on Spotify here or on Apple podcast here
