From “liquor outlets controlling communities” to “communities controlling liquor outlets”
This report presents the findings of a series of community focus groups with young people across four provinces, commissioned by the DG Murray Trust. The research explored how youth understand alcohol harm, what role liquor outlets play in their daily lives, and how communities can shift the balance of power to protect themselves.
The focus groups revealed a deep sense of resignation among young people about alcohol’s dominance in their neighbourhoods, but also a strong desire for change. With better access to information, young people said they would be willing to take action—challenging harmful norms, holding liquor traders and officials accountable, and working towards safer, healthier communities.
The report highlights both the challenges and the opportunities: entrenched unemployment, corruption, lack of recreational spaces and the normalisation of alcohol use, alongside a real appetite among young people to lead change if they have access to the necessary tools and support.
There is a ‘toxic relationship’ between community and liquor outlets, like an abusive husband and wife
About the Authors
Maurice Smithers
Maurice is the former Director of the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in South Africa (SAAPA SA). He has decades of experience in policy advocacy, community organising, and alcohol harm reduction. His work has consistently focused on helping communities empower themselves to have a stronger voice in shaping the laws, policies, and practices that govern liquor licensing and harm prevention. Maurice is currently an office-bearer in Working for an Alcohol Safer South Africa (WASSA), where he continues to drive strategies that link grassroots activism with national policy reform.
Thuli Shongwe
Thuli is a former Senior Researcher at the Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication, where she specialised in social and behavioural change programmes. With a background in community-based research and advocacy, she has long worked on projects that put people’s lived experiences at the centre of public health strategies. Thuli is a co-founder and office-bearer of WASSA and brings to the organisation her depth of experience in building participatory processes that connect young people’s voices with broader movements for alcohol harm reduction.
