Ministers visit set of popular local soapie Suidooster

Statement by Donald Grant and Dr Nomafrench Mbombo

Minister of Transport and Public Works and Minister of Health

On 19 August 2016, Donald Grant, Minister of Transport and Public Works and Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, Minister of Health visited the Cape Town studios of popular Afrikaans television soapie Suidooster. The visit marked the successful conclusion of an innovative road safety awareness initiative that highlighted the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI).

Safely Home, MediaShop and the Suidooster scriptwriters worked together to develop a storyline over several episodes in which one of the Suidooster characters was caught drinking and driving. By dramatising the negative impact that DUI can have on a familiar character, the key messages of ongoing road safety education and awareness campaigns were reinforced in a new way.

“The main idea was to demonstrate the potential of DUI to have profoundly negative consequences – legal ones, crash-related ones, as well as highlighting impacts on family and financial life,” said Minister Grant.

Alcohol plays a causal role in a large proportion of fatal crashes in the Western Cape. Many motorists continue to drink and drive despite repeated warnings by traffic authorities that alcohol and roads don’t mix. The DUI storyline was broadcast from the end of June until the end of July to coincide with the July Safely Home calendar theme #BoozeFreeRoads.

“Safely Home worked closely with Suidooster to refine the ideas. A draft storyline was produced with input from provincial traffic law enforcement on certain scenes. Real traffic and police officers appeared in a number of scenes. Provincial Traffic Inspector Harold Williams and Captain Rod Beer of Western Cape South African Police Service Communications were instrumental in ensuring that part of the project ran smoothly,” said Minister Grant.

After the storyline was signed off, draft scripts were produced for review.

Once Safely Home was satisfied, the DUI storyline was incorporated into the Suidooster production process. Filming went off without a hitch, including scenes in a restaurant, at a roadblock, and in a prison.

“Every day within our hospitals, we see the devastating impact alcohol and substance abuse has on the people we serve. Alcohol also remains a key risk factor for injuries from road traffic crashes experienced in the Western Cape, and a major driver in injuries experienced as a result of interpersonal violence; one of the biggest contributors to the province’s quadruple burden of disease, "said Minister Mbombo.

“By reaching out to our clients through shows such as this, we hope to steer people away from substance abuse by encouraging lasting behavioural change that leads to healthy lifestyles,” added the Minister Mbombo.

“We will continue to explore innovative ways to convey these, and other very important, road safety messages in an effort to raise awareness and increase good road user behaviour. We must do all we can to ensure that less and less lives are lost senselessly on our roads every day. I should like to thank the teams at Suidooster, and Safely Home for all their hard work during this campaign, and look forward to a continued life-saving partnership,” said Minister Grant.