OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Wednesday 9.00pm.
THE National Council of Provinces has approved Health Minister Nkosazana Zuma’s tobacco bill which bans tobacco advertising and smoking in the workplace.
”Just as surely as smoking causes cancer, so does the industry target our children and the youth,” Zuma said while urging the NCOP to approve the bill. ”The best way to keep their hands off kids is to ban all tobacco advertising, promotions and sponsorships, and to enforce the laws against sales to minors.”
Both KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape voted against the bill, saying it would lead to job losses. The bill was also opposed by the Freedom Front and the Democratic Party.
The bill includes a last-minute amendment banning smoking in public places, and allows for people who smoke in the workplace to be jailed if they fail to pay a R200 fine.
The bill still has to be passed by the National Assembly.
Western Cape delegate Neels Ackermann accused Zuma of pushing the legislation through Parliament, and said the tobacco industry was not properly consulted. He also suggested Zuma was ”motivated personal gain. She wants international recognition — that’s my submission.”
A representative of the tobacco industry said that the result was as expected, although ”bitterly disappointing”.