the World No Tobacco and Substance Abuse Awareness Day in Limpopo
11 July 2007
Programme Director
Members of the Executive Council
Councillors
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Good Morning, Dumelang, Absheni, Ndimatsheloni
It gives me great honour to speak at this very important occasion, which is
aimed at both creating public awareness on the detrimental effects of tobacco,
drugs and alcohol, as well as galvanising society in the fight against such
substance abuse. I am pleased to witness such a large turnout this morning.
This indicates that you recognise the magnitude and the extent of the problem
and the need to intensify our efforts to combat the scourge. It is also an
expression of your commitment and affirms your determination to work with
government to implement programmes aimed at developing our communities.
Abuse of tobacco, drugs and alcohol is causing an immense human suffering.
It affects our economy, disrupts families and it is a threat to our security.
Its negative impact is eroding many of the gains we have made. Collective
action is required to counter the escalating incidences of tobacco, drug and
alcohol abuse.
Programme Director, I am told that our theme for this event is "Promoting
Healthy Lifestyles through No Tobacco and No Place for Drugs, 100% smoke-free
and drug-free environment". But, we must not forget the problems of alcohol
abuse and the incidents of trauma and violence associated with high levels of
drinking. Allow me, Programme Director, to illustrate the work we have done to
discourage substance abuse. The government has implemented a number of
strategies to reduce smoking prevalence in the country. As I speak here today,
the majority of our public places are smoke-free and those that do not adhere
to our regulations will be prosecuted.
We have submitted the Tobacco Product Amendment Bill to parliament, which
will strengthen tobacco control and significantly increase the fines for
violation of our regulations. The Bill is currently with the National Council
of Provinces (NCOP) and once approved, will go to the President for endorsement
before it becomes law.
The Bill increases the age restriction for sale of tobacco from 16 to 18
years old. This means that all minors will no longer be allowed in a designated
smoking area. The Bill also increases the penalties for the owner of a public
place or employer who fails to ensure that there is no smoking in a smoke-free
area, from R200 to a minimum of R20 000.
The penalty for selling tobacco products to a minor and for failure to
comply with the regulations on vending machines has been increased from R10 000
to a minimum of R100 000. The penalty for advertising and giving away free
cigarettes has been increased from R200 000 to a minimum of R1 million.
The proposed penalties in the Tobacco Product Amendment Bill are comparable
to those of other Acts. For example, the fine for selling liquor to a person
under 18 years is R1 million or five-years in prison. I have approved the
Regulations Relating to the Labelling and Advertising of Alcohol Beverages and
we expect them to be gazetted for public comment soon. The regulations will
tighten the existing loopholes currently being exploited by the industry.
The regulations stipulate that:
* advertisements of alcohol beverages are not permitted on radio, cinema and
television between 06h00 and 22h00
* advertisements and container labels for alcoholic beverages must contain
health messages, which include a disclosure that consumption of alcohol
increases your risk of many health problems, harms unborn babies, and distorts
judgement as well as cause aggressive behaviour
* promotional materials on alcoholic beverages that are utilised during any
organised activity also must contain or display health messages.
We have to be vigilant to protect our children. The Youth Risk Behaviour
Survey of 2002 revealed that one in five learners attempt suicide because of
mental health problems caused among other things by substance abuse. Over 10%
learners smoke tobacco of which 6,2% of them first tried smoking before
reaching the age of 10 years.
The National Cancer Registry estimates that tobacco use is responsible for
about eight percent of all deaths in South Africa; alcohol alone is estimated
to have contributed seven percent of the total burden from death and disability
in this country. The economic costs of alcohol alone are estimated to be in the
region of R9 billion a year. We are also seeing a growing link between drinking
and engagement in high-risk sexual behaviour, such as having multiple sexual
partners.
Ill health affects the productivity of every sector of the industry, and
about 2,5 million working days are lost annually in this country from diseases
related to tobacco products of any form being used. Furthermore, low-income
households spend about four percent of their total expenditure on cigarettes.
My fellow citizens, we cannot go on like this. This requires our immediate
attention. We need the involvement of everyone to instil responsible behaviour
in our communities. Issuing of licenses for liquor outlets should be done
responsibly and not target or recruit young people by suggesting that smoking
or drinking is cool, or is associated with success.
We have done a lot to create awareness around the benefits of healthy living
since the launch of our Healthy Lifestyles Campaign, to prevent the onset of
chronic diseases. The campaign promotes regular physical activity, good eating
habits, while discouraging tobacco and alcohol abuse and unsafe sexual
practices.
Through this campaign, we are trying to prevent and management most of the
main causes of ill health and death in the country which can be grouped into
three categories:
* communicable diseases (such as HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and
Malaria)
* non-communicable diseases (such as Diabetes, Cancer and Hypertension)
* violence and trauma
We have sustained this public health campaign by combining the use of the
media for raising awareness and encouraging more utilisation of health
screening services to enable the prevention, early detection and management of
diseases such as diabetes, breast, cervix and prostate cancers.
While we call on our people to take care of their health, we, as government
have a responsibility to create a healthy environment and to improve access to
basic services that enhance good health. We need to encourage more responsible
behaviour as an integral part of life of every ordinary South African. Let us
be good role models to our children and discourage destructive behaviour.
Thank you for listening to me.
Issued by: Department of Health
11 July 2007
