Chairperson, the Minister, hon members,
... na Muhulisei Khosi Vho-Kutama. Ri khou vha livhuwa vho kona u swika fhano namusi. [... and His Excellency Chief Kutama. We thank you for your presence here today.]
There is an agreement that tobacco products are, by their nature, addictive. These are the sentiments across the board in the industry - the users as well as the nonusers. We also all agree that tobacco is an authorised drug that can be purchased over the counter. Most parents would want their children not be involved in the use of tobacco products, particularly cigarette smoking.
South Africa is one of the several countries in the world to have legislation that bans smoking in public places, but possibly the first on the continent of Africa.
Research also shows that smoking trends have decreased as a result of the banning of smoking in public places in South Africa. We are enjoying riding in buses and taxis that are smoke free. Most of our drivers have now become self-regulators and it is encouraging to realise that with proper sensitisation, regulations and laws can be implemented without employment of law enforcement agencies such as inspectors, if the general public has been properly consulted.
There are some concerns that we raised in the committee that we would also like to raise here so that we can take note of those particular concerns. Subclause 3 (a) says, and I quote: "No person shall export a tobacco product from the Republic unless the tobacco product meets the product and testing standards of the country of final destination". Well, the DA does not believe in determining standards for another country but our own standards.
If we set our standards that are satisfactory, then the manufacturers will have to comply with them. Any violation will be met with the full might of the law. Why then do we have to grapple with the standards of another country while ours are competitive and acceptable internationally? I believe we have to stick to our own without reference to another country. Arguments have been put forward that this is done to discourage dumping of products of low and poor quality in other countries, particularly in Africa. Well, that should be discouraged, of course. One should not be allowed to do that.
Also, Clause 4(f)(iv) deals with the information a manufacturer must submit to the Minister and to the public in respect of product composition, ingredients, hazardous properties and emissions. A number of role-players and manufacturers have registered their concerns because this clause seems to want to compromise them on trade secrets that they do not want their competitors to know about.
Maybe it would be better if hazardous properties and emissions could be disclosed while allowing manufacturers to withhold information on product composition and ingredients. The other suggestion could be that if such information is disclosed, perhaps it be kept in a safe place where it cannot be compromised.
The provision of exemption in the proposed section 6A is welcomed. One would have thought that more exemptions could have been considered, particularly where the nonsmokers are not directly affected. We all know that smoking is bad. But since there are people who choose to smoke, where they cannot affect the nonsmokers, or in a situation where one does not become a passive smoker, perhaps those exemptions should actually be considered.
The use of snuff affects the users as well, because it is not burnt but put in the mouth around the gums. People can actually use that product in that particular manner without affecting the person next to them. We know that it does not really make it nonaddictive. It still remains addictive but it does not affect the next person who is actually not using it. A request for its exemption does not mean it is less harmful and nonaddictive but it does not affect the nonusers.
The biggest challenge we are facing, as a country, is that more and more schoolchildren are heavy users of cigarettes, particularly boys, and this may vary from province to province in terms of the gender usage. Cigarette smoking becomes their road map to the introduction of their involvement in prohibited hard drugs.
It is perhaps necessary to increase the age limit for its use. In other words, we now increase the age limit up to a certain age. It is 18 at the moment. Can we not lift it further to 20? I know there are arguments about the fact that it is relative, but we need to really take care of the situation where our young children get involved in smoking.
It is reported by the South African National Council on Alcoholism and Drugs that one in three teenagers in South Africa is addicted to drugs or alcohol. This information is gleaned from their 34 clinics countrywide where teenagers present themselves for treatment. Children are getting addicted at a younger age because the age of first experiment has dropped to between 9 and 10 years.
We also welcome the prohibition of the use of cigarettes in any motor vehicle when a child under the age of 12 years is present in that vehicle. These are the paediatric years in which the development of a child is at its peak; particularly the respiratory organs, and they must be protected. The health of our community comes first, and this must be a high consideration by the department in its endeavours to provide a good service to all of us. [Time expired.] Thank you, Chairperson. That was the last sentence of my presentation. Thank you very much, Chairperson. [Applause.]