Latest news with #CastleLager
The Citizen
a day ago
- Business
- The Citizen
How cheap alcohol keeps hurting SA's poorest
The alcohol industry profits while heavy drinking causes widespread harm in poor South African communities. Recent comments by the South African Breweries (SAB) CEO Richard Rivett-Carnac, reported in Business Day, that minimum unit pricing for alcohol will punish the poor and turbocharge the illicit market, harming both the industry and public safety, must be challenged by fact. The fact is that the legal liquor industry is a major contributor to injury, disease and death in South Africa. Alcohol is a factor in about half of all homicides, traffic accidents and gender-based violence in this country. If the results of the SAB study into illicit alcohol are true – that illegal trade represents about a fifth of the total market – that still means that legally manufactured alcohol contributes up to four-fifths of the total alcohol harm in South Africa. The major damage is not occasional death from the wrong chemicals in illicit brews, but widespread harm from heavy drinking of all liquor products – whether they're legal or not. If the upper daily limit of what could be regarded as 'responsible drinking' is two standard drinks per drinker then, on average, drinkers consume 2½ times more than this and most of the excess is manufactured by the companies that now appeal to public safety as a reason not to introduce minimum unit pricing. ALSO READ: Saps probes officers after video shows police offloading beer bottles at liquor store SAB undercuts its words with its actions. Just one of its one-litre bottles of Castle Lager contains enough pure alcohol to push a drinker's blood alcohol content well above the legal driving limit of 0.05%. Those bottles are sold 2½ times cheaper per litre than the equivalent amount in three 330ml containers. This price difference is so large that it cannot be due to cost-savings in the manufacturing process and suggests a deliberate design to promote excessive consumption. There is evidence from South Africa that bigger containers encourage people to drink more. It is the price of these larger containers that will be most affected by the introduction of a minimum price per unit of alcohol. We must challenge the assertion that minimum unit pricing will punish the poor. ALSO READ: KZN woman arrested for R120 000 illicit alcohol A 2018 study of alcohol-related mortality in South Africa found that the death rate from alcohol in poorer communities is 4½ times higher than wealthier ones. Many people in poorer communities drink to escape the hardships of daily life in the absence of recreational alternatives. High rates of misery make it far harder for a person to 'drink responsibly' than someone experiencing the good life. The alcohol industry capitalises on their misery, flooding their communities with large quantities of liquor at lower prices. It is this behaviour that punishes the poor, not the proposed introduction of minimum unit pricing. Where minimum unit pricing has been introduced in other countries like Scotland and Wales, it has achieved its aim of reducing the prevalence of heavy drinking, with positive health benefits for poorer consumers. ALSO READ: Mlindo The Vocalist releases his long-awaited album on Mandela Day as a way of 'giving back' With the introduction of minimum unit pricing, there may be some growth of the illicit market, which could affect tax revenues but that must be dealt with in the same way that illicit cigarettes should be – with effective enforcement of a track-and-trace system from the point of production to the point of sale. However, the liquor industry's claim of massive growth in illicit sales is dubious, given that legal alcohol sales have grown substantially over the past decade. There is no evidence of significant erosion of the market. The role of extra taxation of the liquor and tobacco industries is to make them pay for the damages they cause to society. Government should not be confused by perverse logic. If the liquor industry caused less harm to our society in the first place, Treasury would need less money to pay for its damages. NOW READ: Report reveals 1 in 5 alcoholic drinks are fake: Here's how to spot them
The South African
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Bellissima! SA singer nails Italian national anthem
Rugby fans are heaping praise on South African woman Sinesipho Mnyango, who nailed the Italian national anthem ahead of their clash against the Springboks at Loftus on Saturday. The Boks beat the Azzurri 42-24 on home turf. On social media, rugby fans praised South African opera singer Sinesipho Mnyango for performing the Italian national anthem, Il Canto degli Italiani. The classical singer flawlessly belted out the words she had likely learned just days before. Sinesipho – a soprano – was even credited for moving the Italian players to tears. X user @oramufc posted: 'That lady devoured the Italian national anthem! I still have goosies!'. Another, @Andrew__Grant shared: 'Outstanding. What a voice!'. A third X user – @justkuda – posted: 'A black woman singing an Italian national anthem and actually killing it? Wowza!'. Moments after Sinesipho Mnyango performed the Italian national anthem, fellow SA singer Bernice West took over the spotlight to sing South Africa's one. Take a look… South Africans will be spoiled for choice with more exciting Springboks test matches and emotional national anthem performances for the rest of the year. Here's what they can expect from home games… Castle Lager Incoming Series 12 July: South Africa vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Gqeberha) 19 July: South Africa vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium (Nelspruit) Castle Lager Rugby Championship 16 August: South Africa vs Australia, Emirates Airline Park (Johannesburg) 23 August: South Africa vs Australia, DHL Stadium (Cape Town) 27 September: South Africa vs Argentina, Hollywoodbets Kings Park (Durban) The Springboks will also play these away games… 6 September: South Africa vs New Zealand, Auckland (Eden Park) 13 September: South Africa vs New Zealand, Wellington (Sky Stadium) 4 October: South Africa vs Argentina, London (Twickenham) 8 November: South Africa vs France, Paris (Stade de France) 15 November: South Africa vs Italy, Turin (Allianz Stadium) 22 November: South Africa vs Ireland, Dublin (Aviva Stadium) 29 November: South Africa vs Wales, Cardiff (Principality Stadium) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
News24
04-07-2025
- Sport
- News24
Win Free Springbok Tickets: Answer One Simple Question!
The Castle Lager Incoming Series kicks off this weekend!! City Press in partnership with Castle Lager is giving away 10 double tickets to lucky fans ahead of the 2025 Castle Lager Incoming Series match between Springboks and Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. To stand a chance of winning double tickets, answer this simple question: Question: - How old has Castle Lager turned this year? South Africa Be sharp not for persons under the age of 18. Enjoy responsibly. To win SMS the answer to 34217. SMS cost R1.50. Free SMS do not apply. Winners will be notified by telephone and must be able to collect their tickets at our offices at 272 Pretoria Avenue, Randburg. The competition closes on Friday at 5pm.
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
WIN! With Castle Lager, Independent Media and the Springboks
WIN with Castle Lager, Independent Media and the Springboks. Image: Castle Lager The Castle Lager Incoming Series kicks off this weekend, with the first Test against Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (kick-off 5pm). Independent Newspapers and The Star, in partnership with Castle Lager, are giving away 10 double tickets to five lucky fans ahead of the 2025 Castle Lager Incoming Series match between the Springboks and Italy at Loftus. Also on Saturday at Loftus, the Springbok Women will play World Rugby's second-ranked team, Canada, in the first Test (kick-off 1.30pm). The senior national teams will be captained by Jesse Kriel and Nolusindiso Booi, respectively, who will both hope for the fervent support of South Africans to spur them on to victory. The Boks have faced the Azzurri 16 times and won 15 of those encounters, with their only loss to the Italians recorded in 2016. The 12th-ranked Bok Women, meanwhile, have never beaten their Canadian counterparts after three matches between the two nations. The last time the Boks faced Italy was in 2022, when they won comfortably, 63–21, in Genoa. The Bok Women will be hoping to fare better against their opponents – the last time the two sides met, the Canadians ran out 66–7 winners in Madrid.
![Springboks national anthem singer delivers GOOSEBUMPS [video]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesouthafrican.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2FJanice-Roos-was-the-Springboks-first-national-anthem-singer-of-2025.jpg.optimal.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
The South African
28-06-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Springboks national anthem singer delivers GOOSEBUMPS [video]
The Springboks kicked off their first game of 2025 – against the Barbarians – with an emotional rendition of the South African national anthem, courtesy of Cape Town singer Janice Roos. The boys in green and gold beat the British side 54-7 at a cold and wet DHL Stadium. In the next few weeks, the Boks will play Italy and Georgia on home soil. Despite the doom and gloom of the Cape Town weather, local singer Janice Roos was a ray of sunshine as she performed the national anthem. The Mother City singer – who has previously sung at the Curry Cup finals – belted out Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika at the DHL Stadium. The performance kicked off the Springboks' first game of 2025. Take a look… South Africans will be spoiled for choice with more exciting Springboks test matches and emotional national anthem performances for the rest of the year. Here's what they can expect from home games… Castle Lager Incoming Series 5 July: South Africa vs Italy, Loftus Versfeld (Pretoria) 12 July: South Africa vs Italy, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (Gqeberha) 19 July: South Africa vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium (Nelspruit) Castle Lager Rugby Championship 16 August: South Africa vs Australia, Emirates Airline Park (Johannesburg) 23 August: South Africa vs Australia, DHL Stadium (Cape Town) 27 September: South Africa vs Argentina, Hollywoodbets Kings Park (Durban) The Springboks will also play these away games. 6 September: South Africa vs New Zealand, Auckland (Eden Park) 13 September: South Africa vs New Zealand, Wellington (Sky Stadium) 4 October: South Africa vs Argentina, London (Twickenham) 8 November: South Africa vs France, Paris (Stade de France) 15 November: South Africa vs Italy, Turin (Allianz Stadium) 22 November: South Africa vs Ireland, Dublin (Aviva Stadium) 29 November: South Africa vs Wales, Cardiff (Principality Stadium) Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
