HEALA adamant that a 20% sugary drinks tax increase will curtail the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in South Africa
Prior to becoming a professional and passionate caregiver, Lexi Mufukari was in her mid-twenties when she first had to take care of a loved one battling non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Her grandmother, now late, had been managing her hypertension well for decades, until a diabetes diagnosis negatively impacted her health. “Prior to her diabetes diagnosis, my grandmother had been fit, active, energetic and taking her blood pressure medication religiously,” shares Mufukari. Her family, already cash-strapped, hired a full-time caregiver to assist with taking care of Mufukari’s grandmother. “We could not afford a wheelchair so she had to be carried everywhere around the house by one or three family members,” she adds. This firsthand experience of how NCDs can change the family’s trajectory – impacting finances, mental health and relations has led Lexi to believe that the prevention of any NCDs is better than cure.
South Africa currently faces a dire health crisis. NCDs related deaths such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic lower respiratory diseases rose by a staggering 58.7 percent over the past two decades, according to Statistics South Africa. Diabetes now ranks as the second leading cause of death in South Africa after tuberculosis, with a concerning 25 000 deaths attributed to the disease in 2022. Diabetes affects 12 percent of the adult population in South Africa, wreaking havoc to the family’s livelihood and the individual’s health, work place productivity, – as well as the national fiscus. Diabetes, on diagnosed patients alone, costs South Africa’s health system a whopping R2.7 billion. With undiagnosed patients factored in, the amount would shoot up to R 21.8 billion.
And this is where increasing the sugar tax from 10 to 20 percent would help. The Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) still maintains that the South African government has an opportunity to curb the prevalence of NCDs in South Africa, including diabetes, obesity, and related health issues.
In 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) once again called on governments worldwide to increase taxes on sugary drinks and alcohol to radically decrease the number of people dying from unhealthy diets – adding that unhealthy diets were responsible for approximately 8 million deaths, worldwide, every year. Furthermore, WHO explained that higher taxes would help reduce the consumption of unhealthy products, and therefore incentivise companies to produce healthier products – which would hopefully lead to healthier populations across the board.
Says HEALA CEO Nzama Mbalati: “We all are experiencing non-communicable diseases in one way or the other. Either oneself, relative, family member, friend, colleague are who is living or have lost their lives due to diabetes, heart diseases or cancer”.
DID YOU KNOW?
HEALA is a coalition of civil society organisations advocating for equitable access to affordable, nutritious food in South Africa by building a more just food system.
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