HARD-HITTING SHORT FILM, VUKA, SHINES SPOTLIGHT ON SOUTH AFRICA’S UNDERAGE DRINKING CHALLENGE, CALLS ON PUBLIC TO #BEPARTOFTHECHANGE

The holiday season is upon us and SAB is intensifying its efforts to help reduce the harm caused by the misuse of alcohol and more importantly, call on the people of South Africa to help curb underage drinking. To reinforce this message into action, SAB 18+ produced a short film, VUKA, that addresses the hard realities of a child growing up in difficult circumstances and being surrounded by the choice of using alcohol as an escape.

“The purpose of the short film is to showcase how poor decisions affect the lives of teenagers, and to encourage more people to become a mentor and make a positive impact on the lives of our youth,” says Zoleka Lisa, Corporate Affairs Director, SAB and AB InBev Africa.

The film depicts 5 boys auditioning for the role of “Tebogo”, a young man with a drinking problem. The story starts with a young boy who witnesses his mother being intimate whilst he is supposed to be asleep. Later, he is depicted getting caught stealing, hitting a pedestrian while drinking and driving and other social misdemeanours. While the characters are fictional, it depicts some of the real social challenges encountered across South African communities, many of them as a result of underage or abusive alcohol consumption.

The short film encourages the audience to join in the journey to help rewrite the future of South Africa’s youth and #BePartOfTheChange.

“SAB has a hard-hitting intervention based-strategy that tackles the effects of underage consumption and alcohol abuse in South Africa. This is one of several initiatives specially designed in collaboration with multiple, relevant and expert stakeholders to address the challenge,” says Lisa. This multi-shareholder approach, working with leaders in the industry and experts on alcohol harm, is taken as a means of yielding the most effective results. Through initiatives like 18+, SAB is committed to helping foster a global culture of smart drinking to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.”

Watch the seven-minute film here.

Take the pledge and join the 18+ Be The Mentor movement to be part of the change: www.bethementor.sab.co.za