Issued by: Department of Health
The campaign to ban tobacco sponsorship of sport is likely to gain momentum following a visit to Australia by a delegation from the Department of Health.
Dr Gonda Perez, Director, Health Promotion and Communication and Mrs Veronica Charleston, Deputy Director for Health Promotion in Gauteng were impressed by the model for tobacco control by the Victoria Health Promotion Foundation in the State of Victoria.
"A percentage of tobacco tax is given to the Foundation to carry out health promotion activities which include sponsorship of sporting and cultural events like basketball and ballet dance. There is no reliance on tobacco companies' sport sponsorship," enthused Dr Perez.
Health promotion, she pointed out, is co-ordinated on a national basis with tobacco tax money used for research on mothers and children's health, the health of adults and Aborigines and the prevention of drug abuse.
The anti-smoke campaign is so successful that at a sporting event they attended, not one of the capacity 15 000 people smoked.
"Besides the conspicuous signs promoting health, there is also strict controls on alcohol. Every person is allowed only one drink. We were tremendously impressed and will advice Dr Nkosazana Zuma, the Health Minister, on aspects that can be adapted to our situation. Personally I would like to see a scenario where tobacco sponsorship of sport is now allowed."
Date: 06 November 1997 Contact: Lulu Sebake Phone: 012 - 312 0614 Fax: 012 - 325 7814