Deputy minister for the department of Social Development Henrietta Bogopane-Zulu and MEC for social development in the Northern Cape, Nontobeko Vilakazi hosted pregnant women in the Pixley Ka Seme district on Saturday, 2 September 2023, to advocate for non alcohol use during pregnancy. The department says in a statement, this campaign was named the 9-9-9 campaign and was an advocacy initiative intended to mobilize communities against Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) during which they educated people, especially women of child bearing ages,of the dangers of concuming alcohol while pregnant or breastfeeding. The department says this initiative was based off statistics in South Africa which shows that the country has the highest reported rates of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in the world. The department further adds that the program was kicked off on Saturday at 09H00. The department further states that they are rolling out this campaign over 9 consecutive days throughout the 9 provinces leading up to the 9th of September, which is commemorated as International FAS Day and will be doing this through community dialogues.

Journalist: Mbali Masiza
Email: mbalimasiza198@gmail.com