South Africa: Ramaphosa Declares War On Alcohol Abuse, While Entity Studying Alcohol-Related Harms Faces Closure

By Tamsin Metelerkamp

In the 2026 State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa committed the national government to coming up with strategies to curb excessive alcohol use. This comes as the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research winds down its 30-year operation. Why does this matter?

The Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (Farr), an organisation that has worked to reduce birth defects caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy since it was founded almost 30 years ago, is set to close its doors by 31 May 2026.

Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a major but under-acknowledged concern in the country. While the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that fewer than 1% of individuals are affected by FASD globally, South Africa's FASD prevalence rate is estimated to stand at 11%, the highest in the world.

However, Dr Leana Olivier, CEO of Farr, told Daily Maverick in an interview that prevalence rates can be much higher within specific communities.

"We've worked in areas where the [FASD] prevalence rates were as high as 28.2%, and rates around that. So, it's extremely high - it's the highest reported in the world," she said.

The closure is linked to a decline in funding, particularly for the research portion of the nonprofit's operations. It marks a "profound loss" for the alcohol harms reduction sector, according to activists and experts working in the space.

Farr's work is primarily geared towards monitoring and FASDs in provinces across the country. FASDs involve permanent and...

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