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Mamparras Spend R7.7 Billion From 25th to the 31st of December 2024
The land of sun, braais, and world-class financial irresponsibility. The month when people who spent the whole year complaining about Eskom, food prices, and petrol suddenly transform into millionaires—with only one investment strategy: alcohol.
Between December 25 and 31, 2024, South Africans collectively dropped a staggering R7.7 billion on booze. And if you zoom out a little, the numbers get even worse. On Christmas and Day of Goodwill alone, R8 billion flowed into liquor store tills. By the time the countdown to 2025 hit zero, New Year’s boozing had totaled R17 billion.
This isn’t just spending. This is a national sport.
Let’s be honest—South Africa is Mamparraland in December. Everything grinds to a halt, businesses shut down, and entire paychecks disappear faster than a government budget report. While some countries prioritize holiday travel, gifts, or family outings, we focus on what really matters: getting hammered.
The average household spent R5,600 on alcohol in December. That’s enough to pay for school fees, fix a car, or stock up on actual groceries—but no, that money went straight into the liquor economy. Meanwhile, R3,000 per household was also budgeted for fireworks because, obviously, nothing pairs better with reckless drinking than explosives.
South Africa Fu@# Ja!
If you’re wondering how people afford this level of spending, the answer is simple: they don’t.
- Reliance on credit and loans for festive spending jumped from 27% to 32%—meaning that a third of South Africans were literally drinking on borrowed money.
- Only 37% used savings, down from 40% in 2023. Some even dipped into their retirement funds to keep up with the December hype.
Nothing screams Mamparraland like using your pension to fund a hangover.
South Africans love to talk about how “there’s no money” for basic things. But when it comes to alcohol, the budget magically appears.
For example, spending on:
- Museums, safaris, and educational activities? Almost non-existent.
- Family-friendly outings? Who needs that when there’s a bottle store around the corner?
- Charity, healthcare, home improvements? According to Standard Bank, those saw a decline because priorities shifted to more important things—like Black Label and Jameson.
Meanwhile, 49% of South Africans now go out for drinks or meals at least once a week, and 67% planned to do so even more in 2025. The economy might be struggling, but bars and bottle stores are thriving.
All of this comes with consequences. Besides the empty wallets and maxed-out credit cards, the road carnage in December was brutal:
- By December 19, serious accidents had increased by 3%.
- 426 fatal crashes had already been recorded since the beginning of the month.
- Transport Minister Barbara Creecy basically waved the white flag, admitting that despite all efforts, the numbers were only getting worse.
South Africans simply don’t “drink responsibly.” December is a free-for-all, and by the time the first bottle is opened, any sense of safety or caution is long gone.
This level of alcohol obsession isn’t new. Veli Mbhele, a writer and social commentator, traced it back to apartheid and colonialism, when alcohol was literally used as wages. The drinking culture was engineered—from the introduction of ‘Beer Halls’ to modern-day advertising that keeps people hooked.
And now? The cycle continues. Communities like Soweto see alcohol as a badge of survival, a way to “treat yourself” after a tough year. Some, like Pulane Sithole (29), admit that drinking is a way to escape reality, while others, like Thabo Janes, say it helps to numb the pain of unemployment and financial stress.
No matter how bad the economy gets, how high inflation rises, or how many people lose jobs, alcohol money will always be found.
Mamparras Will Mamparra Again Next Year
South Africa has one of the highest alcohol consumption rates in the world. While only 43% of adult men and 20% of women drink, those who do consume at such extreme levels that the country’s per capita alcohol consumption ranks among the highest globally. On average, drinkers consume 64.6 grams of pure alcohol per day, making South Africa 6th in the world for alcohol intake. Binge drinking is the norm, with 70.8% of male drinkers and 33.7% of female drinkers engaging in heavy episodic drinking—rates significantly higher than both the regional and global averages. Alcohol dependency is also three times higher than the global and African averages.
This excessive drinking culture has devastating consequences. South Africa’s homicide rate is five times the global average, with alcohol playing a major role in violent crime. Road fatalities are another crisis, with the country recording 33 deaths per 100,000 people—double the global average. Alcohol is involved in 50% of these cases, particularly at night and on weekends. In 2015 alone, alcohol contributed to between 27,000 and 103,000 deaths, meaning that up to 282 adults died every day due to alcohol-related causes. Gender-based violence is another major concern, with 25-40% of South African women experiencing sexual or physical abuse, often linked to binge drinking.
Beyond the human cost, alcohol is a massive economic burden. In 2009, alcohol-related harm cost the government R17 billion, while tax revenue from alcohol was only R16 billion—a net loss of R1 billion. The broader economic impact was even worse, with direct costs estimated at R38 billion (1.6% of GDP). When factoring in indirect costs like premature deaths and lost productivity, the financial burden skyrocketed to R246 billion – R281 billion, equal to 10-12% of GDP.
One of the clearest demonstrations of alcohol’s impact came during South Africa’s Level 5 lockdown, when alcohol sales were banned, and a curfew was imposed. During this period, unnatural deaths plummeted, only to surge again once alcohol sales resumed. This “natural experiment” proved that stricter alcohol policies can significantly reduce harm, making it clear that urgent action is needed.
By the time January rolls around, the December millions have disappeared. Fridges are empty, debit orders are bouncing, and the same people who were throwing money at booze are now borrowing taxi fare to work.
And yet, come next December, the cycle will repeat. Because in Mamparraland, the festive season isn’t about planning for the future—it’s about drinking like there’s no tomorrow.
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The land of sun, braais, and world-class financial irresponsibility. The month when people who spent the whole year complaining about Eskom, food prices, and petrol suddenly transform into millionaires—with only one investment strategy: alcohol. Between December 25 and 31, 2024, South Africans collectively dropped a staggering R7.7 billion on booze. And if you zoom out…