Issued by Department of Health
31 May 2002
It is a great honour for me to address you on this important day, the annual World No-Tobacco Day. Today, South Africa joins the rest of the world in promoting and encouraging healthy living.
This day is also special because it marks the start of the world great sport event, the Soccer World Cup. And let me take this opportunity to wish our national team, Bafana Bafana, all the best as they compete in this tournament. What makes me even more proud of our team is that is lead by a non-smoker. Bafana Bafana captain, Lucas Radebe has also been active in supporting South African Football Association (SAFA) campaign to persuade young people not to start smoking. We are also in partnership with SAFA in supporting tobacco free sports and the organization has committed itself to encourage young footballers not to smoke in order to remain more competitive in the world of sports.
With that first puff, smoking damages your lungs. It reduces the oxygen in your blood making it difficult to engage in physical activity. Smokers as young as 16 or 17 years old cannot run as fast or as far as their peers who do not smoke.
After many years of smoking these young people are more likely to suffer from diseases like lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema as well as a heart attack.
This year we are joined by the world's most popular sports institute, the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), in a campaign to make the world free of tobacco consumption. The World Health Organization has joined hands with FIFA to launch this year's theme, "Tobacco Free Sport- Play It Clean" during the World Cup kick off today.
This year's theme is in line with our Health in Action campaign which we are sustaining since it was launched in April which was a health month. Health in Action places physical activity at the centre of healthy lifestyles and as the best strategy to reduce vulnerability to diseases and improve health.
The partnership between FIFA and WHO sends a strong message to sports federations and sports people around the world that tobacco use is at odds with the pride associated with excelling in sports. The message is clear - sport men and women take pride in their strength, physical and mental ability and this is what makes them role models in our society. All our players from different sport codes should know that tobacco usage, including advertising and sponsorship, run counter to the ideals of health and fair play embodied in sports. Spectators should equally be warned that tobacco use contributes to the development of diseases. In short, tobacco and sports do not mix.
When we banned tobacco advertising and promotion, there was concern that that sport was going to suffer because of major financial losses. However, most of the major sports that received funding from tobacco companies have been able to get alternative sponsorship. In some cases, the alternative funding is even higher than that of tobacco companies enabling our sports to grow stronger and stronger.
We have set up a tobacco hotline for the general public to lodge smoking related complaints. The response we are getting through this hotline shows that the South African public is aware of the dangers of smoking. We have received more than 12 500 complaints in less than a year. This indicates that our people are refusing to be subjected to an environment that is harmful to their health.
Many of these complaints came from the general public, reporting restaurant owners who continue to allow smoking in their establishments. Others came from employees reporting employers who do not want to develop and implement smoking policies at the workplace.
You should use this number (012) 312 0180 to lodge your complaints. For those who want to stop smoking they can also contact the National Council Against Smoking's Quit Line which is (011) 720 3145. This line gives free advice and help in stopping smoking.
Our approach to reducing tobacco is multi-pronged. While we encourage communities and individuals to take control of their health, government has also assumed a greater responsibility through education, policy and law enforcement. We have passed Tobacco Control Amendment Act aimed at protecting non-smokers and children from the effects of smoking. We are also receiving major support from the Minister of Finance, who every year increases tax on tobacco products making it difficult especially for young people to afford cigarettes.
The results of these interventions are encouraging. In 1998 South Africa recorded a significant drop in adult tobacco consumption. According to the South African Demographic Health Survey report, adult smoking dropped from 34% in 1996 to 24% in 1998. I am convinced that this decrease in smoking prevalence has probably grown further and we should be very proud of these gains. We will be effecting some amendment to the Tobacco Product Control Amendment Act with the aim of closing some loopholes and increasing the fines for violation of smoking restrictions.
Also other components of the current Act come into effect as we go on with this campaign. For instance, by the year 2006 the levels of nicotine and tar contents will be reduced even further. Restrictions on the level tar will be reduced from current 15 mgs to 12 mgs while nicotine will go down from 1.5 mgs to 1.2 mgs on all cigarettes sold in South Africa.
Unfortunately these advances are being met with new strategies designed to maintain high tobacco consumption in the interest of greater profits for tobacco manufacturers. The manufacturers are actively targeting children, women and other historically low-smoking groups. Recently disclosed industry documents reveal that the multinational tobacco companies have studied the habits, tastes and desires of these potential customers and used that research to develop products and marketing campaigns targeted at these specific groups.
In view of the major disease burden as result of tobacco-related illness and the economic cost, there is a great need to intensify Tobacco Control Programmmes even at an international level.
Since 1994, SA has been active in international campaigns to reduce smoking. In 1995 our former President Nelson Mandela received the WHO's Director General gold medal for South Africa's work in tobacco control. At the last World Conference on Tobacco I received an award for the leading government Ministry in tobacco control.
South Africa is currently the vice chair the intergovernmental negotiations on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This Framework Convention will serve as a global public health treaty to bring down tobacco-related death. We are also active members of the Bureau which guides the process of developing this Framework to ensure that it is tabled before the World Health Assembly in May next year.
We believe that the subsequent signing of this Framework Convention will complement the local initiatives to bring down tobacco related deaths. It will seek global and national solutions for problems such as global tobacco advertising and smuggling and address other issues that cut across national boundaries, cultures, age groups and socio-economic strata.
In conclusion, I will like express our appreciation for the major role played by communities, non-governmental organizations, employers and employees as well as the media in the campaign against the use of tobacco products. I will like to thank in particular the SABC for making a commitment to assist us in reaching out to the communities to explain the dangers of smoking. I will also like to thank the WHO, the Cancer Association of South Africa and the Business sector for supporting this particular event.
Thank you very much to all of you for attending this important event. Let us stop tobacco smoking. It kills.