Chairperson and hon members, thank you very much for your consideration. I apologise for being late. It indeed gives me great honour to be here today to participate in the Second Reading debate on the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill.
The Bill proposes amendments to improve the implementation of the Act and also takes into account new and emerging tobacco industry practices designed to circumvent the objects of the Act.
The Act is also amended to bring it into compliance with the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which South Africa has ratified.
The Bill further proposes a number of related and consequential amendments to the Act, which are designed to promote health and prevent disease.
The main provisions of the Bill are to amend the current Act so as to strengthen the sections which prohibit advertising, promotion and sponsorship; remove misleading package descriptions like light and mild; control the ingredients in, and the emissions from tobacco products; and increase penalties for breaking the law.
After approval by Cabinet, the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill was gazetted in October 2003 for public comment. Over 2 000 submissions on the Bill were received from individual members of the public, the tobacco industry, its associate and health organisations. The majority supported the proposed amendments to the Bill.
However, some submissions, mainly from the tobacco and associated industries, made alternate proposals that were not necessarily in line with the objectives of the Bill. The Bill has therefore been amended, taking into consideration the comments that were received.
One of the challenges in the implementation of the current Act has been related to limitations in the definition of some of the provisions of the Act. The Bill before this House therefore seeks to amend those definitions that were posing a challenge in the present tobacco legislation, as well as to insert some new definitions to extend the application of the Tobacco Products Control Act and to close loopholes that exist in the present tobacco legislation.
Building from the success we have had in restricting smoking in public places like restaurants and workplaces, the Bill seeks to further protect the rights of employees and to protect them from intimidation.
The protection of children has been our main focus of tobacco control interventions. This strategic focus is based on the understanding that young people are the main area of focus for the marketing of tobacco products. The assumption is that once young people are hooked onto this addictive habit, they will provide a sustainable market for tobacco products, probably for the rest of their lives.
This Bill therefore seeks to protect children by prohibiting the entry of anyone less than 18 years old into a designated smoking area. It also empowers the Minister to prohibit or restrict smoking in schools and in sports stadiums, which are the places where we want our young people to spend much of their time.
We are strengthening our enforcement of tobacco control measures by clarifying the mandate of municipalities and health officers to enforce the Tobacco Products Control Act and the regulations issued in terms thereof.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control also provides us with a mandate to collaborate with other countries in our tobacco control interventions. In line with the mandate, the Bill seeks to prescribe standards for the manufacturing and export of tobacco products, with special consideration given to those countries of destination where products and testing standards do not exist.
More importantly, the Bill increases the penalties so that they become a real deterrent against contravention of the Act. We want to send a clear message to all those who are bent on finding ways to undermine our tobacco control efforts that we will act decisively in the face of contravention.
Hon members, it is important to emphasise that tobacco is deadly in any form or disguise. Therefore, as policy-makers, we have an obligation to prohibit the misleading terms relating to labelling on tobacco packaging such as ... [Interjections.]
Order! Hon members, could you please listen to what the Minister is saying. You may continue, hon Minister.
Deputy Chairperson I will deal with them decisively. [Laughter.] Therefore, as policy-makers, we have an obligation to prohibit the misleading terms related to labelling on tobacco packaging such as low tar, chocolate or fruity flavour and any other tobacco attraction that entices our communities to start smoking or dissuades them from quitting this deadly habit.
Now is the time to strengthen our ratification of the Framework Tobacco Convention on Tobacco Control and implement it fully. If we can manage to do this, I am convinced that we will reduce tobacco-related diseases, disabilities and deaths in our country. As we all know, tobacco addiction is a serious global health challenge that is increasingly ravaging countries and causing unnecessary diseases, disabilities and death.
Research indicates that the impact of tobacco consumption and production goes as far as impacting on the health care system itself. According to the MRC, the cost of maintaining tobacco survivors in terms of health care costs and disability grants is about R2 billion per year. It is distressing to report that worldwide studies reveal that there are an estimated 1,3 billion smokers in the world.
However, South Africa has been successful in passing stringent tobacco control product legislation that has contributed immensely to the reduction of smoking prevalence amongst youth and adults. The 2002 Global Youth Tobacco Survey showed that the smoking prevalence among the youth decreased from 23% in 1999 to 18,3% in 2002.
While we continue to make progress in reducing the use of tobacco, the tobacco industry has also sought ways to undermine our efforts, particularly using loopholes in the Act. It is for this reason that we are tabling the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill, which seeks to amend and strengthen the existing law.
Hon members, tobacco consumption is a preventable cause of death. It is very important for us to strengthen our health promotion interventions to support the implementation of the Tobacco Control Programme. As government we have a mandate to empower communities with knowledge that will enable them to make informed decisions about these deadly products and to raise awareness about these deadly tobacco products, such as pipes, snuff, cigars, clove flavoured cigarettes and biddies.
We should remember that those who consume tobacco are not the only ones exposed to its negative effects. Millions of people, including half of the world's children, are exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke, known also as passive smoking. There is conclusive evidence linking passive smoking to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer and other respiratory diseases in adults.
It is also known to cause respiratory diseases, ear infections, intestinal diseases and sudden infant death syndrome in children. Passive smoking is a health problem that requires society's active involvement.
In addition to the diseases caused by tobacco consumption and those caused by exposure to secondary tobacco smoke, tobacco dependency itself is a disease described in the International Classification of Diseases as a "chronic disease often involving relapses, nicotine addiction and requiring proper treatment". To date the Department of Health has broadened its scope of work to combat this problem. Its main focus is on implementing a comprehensive, continuous, sustainable and adequate tobacco control strategy based on the following: Preventing people from engaging in tobacco consumption, promoting smoking cessation, protecting nonsmokers from exposure to tobacco smoke and regulating tobacco programmes. We are confident that these amendments to the current tobacco legislation will go a long way in protecting our communities from the harm caused by tobacco use.
In conclusion, I say that this Bill will enforce tobacco product control in our country, and promote the health and wellbeing of our citizens. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
House Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members and invited guests, it gives me great pleasure to speak on the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill.
The aim of the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill, Bill 24 of 2006, is to amend the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act of 1999, hereafter referred to as the principal Act. The Bill seeks to bring the principal Act in line with the World Health Organisation's Framework Conventions on Tobacco Control. South Africa is one of 147 countries that have ratified the WHO Framework, and therefore has to adhere to its legal obligations in terms of the framework. The Bill also seeks to address shortcomings in the current legislation, which is exploited by the tobacco industry, making prosecutions for contravening of the Act very difficult.
The following situations with regard to tobacco use necessitate the promulgation of legislation that can effectively address some of the shortcomings of the current legislation. Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death globally.
Tobacco results in the death of 4,9 million people annually, and this figure is expected to increase to 10 million by the year 2030. Projections indicate that about 70% of future tobacco-related deaths will occur in developing countries, including South Africa.
Evidence suggests that tobacco companies are targeting developing countries as new and emerging markets. Tobacco slows economic development because it places a huge strain on the economy and reduces productivity. Millions of days are lost to industry because workers are ill owing to tobacco use. In South Africa, about 60% of all admissions to Groote Schuur Hospital are from tobacco-related illnesses. In South Africa, on average, a person dies of tobacco-related illnesses every 20 minutes.
The Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill is a section 75 Bill that seeks to further regulate smoking in public places through restricting or prohibiting smoking in certain outdoor places or public places, establishes manufacturing and export standards for tobacco products, and increases fines for contravening the Act. The Bill contains the transitional arrangements necessary for its application. It also proposes amendments to the preamble, including inserting the words "World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control".
Clause 2 of the Bill provides for control over the use of tobacco products, which includes prohibiting smoking near air inlets, windows - hon Sulliman - doorways and entrances to public places ... [Laughter.] ... protecting children through not allowing minors into public areas set aside for smoking; prohibiting smoking in private homes used commercially for childcare or educational purposes, and not allowing any children under the age of 12 to be passengers in a motor vehicle where smoking takes place.
It seeks to protect employees through the provisions in subclause 5 that they may object to being exposed to smoking in the workplace, without fear of retaliation of any kind; that they are not exposed to tobacco smoke in the workplace should they so wish; prohibiting the use of a condition of employment for employees to work in areas of the workplace where smoking is permitted, and granting employees the right not to sign any indemnity for working in areas of the workplace where smoking is permitted.
It empowers the Minister of Health with the right to prohibit smoking in certain outdoor areas or a portion thereof, where people may be in close proximity to each other or where it may pose a fire hazard or any other risk.
The Bill has been criticised for not specifically addressing the situation with regard to domestic workers who work in a private dwelling, and their right to a clean and safe environment. However, it can be argued that the provision in clause 5 gives adequate protection to domestic workers, as with any other types of worker.
Clause 3 of the Bill seeks to provide standards for the manufacturing and export of tobacco products. It seeks to prohibit the export of tobacco to countries outside South Africa unless it complies with the product and testing standards of the destination country. Furthermore, it provides that if no such standards exist in the destination country, the provisions of clause 3 will apply.
Clause 4 of the Bill was drafted in recognition of the fact that over 4 000 chemicals are found in tobacco smoke. Manufacturers add up to 600 chemicals to tobacco. These chemicals are added for a number of reasons, including the need to increase nicotine delivery to smokers, and reduce the harsh taste of tobacco, therefore making cigarettes more appealing to the youth.
Clause 4 of the Bill therefore seeks to reduce the harmful chemicals used in tobacco products and requires that manufacturers produce the least harmful product possible. The Bill requires the disclosure of additives and ingredients used in making tobacco products. It also makes provision for setting standards to reduce the fire risk from discarded cigarettes through the use of self-extinguishing or lower ignition propensity cigarettes.
The Bill seeks to allow the Minister of Health to issue regulations regarding composition - what is inside the tobacco product, emission - what is produced when the product is used, and methods to test tobacco products. In this way, the Bill seeks to control the use of chemicals that are harmful, increase the addictive properties in tobacco and increase the appeal of cigarettes.
The Department of Health has health awareness programmes within the Tobacco Control Programme that focus on primary prevention of tobacco use for all age groups, particularly amongst the younger generation, in different environments, as the Minister said, in schools and so on. At school, as a public place, even the educators must smoke outside the school premises.
Persons under the age of 12 years are more vulnerable to the effects of smoking. The age limit for persons permitted to smoke in permissible smoking areas is 18 years, whereas the sale of tobacco products is prohibited to children under the age of 16 years.
Regarding offences and penalties, it has been argued that the penalties contained in the current legislation have not had the desired effect, and the Bill therefore seeks to introduce a more meaningful series of penalties. The Bill seeks to increase the fines for contravening the Act through introducing a maximum penalty of R500 for an individual smoking in a nonsmoking area. It increases the penalty from R200 to a maximum of R50 000 for employers and those in control of public places that do not comply with the legislation. It increases the penalty from R200 000 to a maximum of R1 million for a person who engages in tobacco-related advertising, promotion and sponsorships, provides free or discounted tobacco, and those that do not comply with the standards for manufacturing and exporting in terms of the proposed Act, and increasing the penalty from R10 000 to a maximum of R100 000 for employers who fail to protect workers' rights not to be exposed to tobacco smoke.
In conclusion, the committee would like to congratulate the Minister of Health and the department for supporting the campaign on no smoking in public places. The United Kingdom, as a developed country, has only banned public smoking from 1 July this year. We congratulate South Africa for leading globally.
After the committee's study tour on tobacco to Sweden and the UK in July this year, one of our committee members quit smoking. We congratulate the hon member. Keep it up for your good health's sake. [Interjections.] However, some members still say that there is no need to take good and healthy lungs to the grave.
Lastly, I would like to thank the Minister of Health and senior management for their ongoing support, and also hon members of the select committee for their dedication and commitment in our committee, even if you lost the opportunity of attending the People's Assembly in Mbizana so that we could finalise these three pieces of legislation today. Ke a leboga. [Thank you.] [Applause.]
Thank you, hon chairperson of the committee. I will now call upon hon Thetjeng. While the hon member is approaching the podium, I just want to recognise the Chairperson of the National House of Traditional Leaders, Khosi Kutama. He is sitting there in the gallery. You are welcome, Chairperson. [Applause.] You may continue, hon member.
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.]
Sihlalo ohloniphekileyo, mhlonishwa uNgqongqoshe noNgqongqoshe abakhona, abahlonishwa bonke abakhona eNdlini noMnyango okhona phakathi kwethu, ugwayi uyinkinga enkulu kakhulu kumuntu obhemayo nongabhemi. Umuntu obhemayo akanandaba nokuthi ubhema kuphi noma isinqamu sikagwayi usitshinga kuphi. Ulahla noma yikuphi nje bese kudaleka umlilo osha ubuhanguhangu kwesinye isikhathi kudaleke omkhulu umonakalo kubantu, ezilwaneni nakwenye impahla ngesinqamu nje sikagwayi. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Mrs J N VILAKAZI: Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, Ministers present, hon members in the House, tobacco is a big problem whether one smokes or not. People who smoke do not care where they smoke and they do not care where they throw a cigarette stump. They just throw it anywhere and, as a result, they start fires, which, sometimes, cause extensive damage to people, animals and other goods just because of a cigarette stump.]
The IFP is especially supportive of the Bill to increase control measures against smoking in public places, and good policing of those measures so that the public does not suffer harm through exploitation, corruption and fraud. Tobacco is a uniquely dangerous consumer product, therefore those who smoke in public places and spaces unequivocally infringe on the right of others to a healthy environment.
Sihlalo ohloniphekileyo, sebekhulumile ozakwethu futhi ngivumelana nakho konke lokhu esebekubekile kodwa ukuvikela abantwana abancane nesizwe kanye nabo bonke abangezwani nokubhema, thina beqembu leNkatha Freedom Party siyawesekela lo Mthethosivivinyo oyisichibiyelo. Ngiyabonga kakhulu. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Hon Chairperson, my colleagues have spoken and I agree with everything they have just said. To protect our children, the nation and all those who are against smoking, the IFP supports this amending Bill. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Chairperson, thank you very much for the opportunity to participate in this important debate on the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill, which is a section 75 Bill that seeks to amend the Tobacco Control Act of 1993 to bring it in line with the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which South Africa is a signatory. We want to salute the Minister in particular and government in general for having ensured that South Africa becomes part and parcel of that broad international convention, which is part of our drive to create a health hazard-free society. The Bill also intends to close loopholes that exist in the current legislation by making prosecution for the contraventions of the Act more effective. As we may realise, the current legislative framework has so many loopholes, which makes it very difficult for prosecuting authorities to prosecute those, particularly the industry that violates the provisions of the Act.
Hon Chairperson, my colleagues and the hon Minister have dealt extensively with the rationale, context and substance of the amending Bill, and in this regard my contribution will focus on the process by Parliament, the NCOP in particular, particularly as it relates to public participation and also attempts to demystify some misconceptions by some media commentators about the legislative process in our evolving bicameral system of parliament.
I am raising this because I know that there are people here who have an interest in the matter, and they are welcome. Every time we pass a Bill as this House and the Bill does not tally with their interests and their position, then we are not heroes but rubber stamps, either of the executive or of the NA. We do not have roles, and are nothing else but rubber stamps, but when we pass a Bill that addresses their concerns, we are their heroes.
Chairperson, this is not just a simple thing that as elected public representatives we may take for granted, because on the one hand it is ideological in the sense that it begins to foster a spirit that takes away the fundamental basis of all of us of being in this august House.
That fundamental basis is membership of political parties, and from membership of political parties that have brought us here then arises the question of party-political discipline, particularly when we deal with section 75 legislation where we vote as political parties. And I want to demystify a notion that says: Rubber stamps or no rubber stamps. In saying that, I think it will also be important for all of us both individually and collectively to be cautious of being created heroes by editorial boardrooms.
History has actually revealed how many people were created as heroes by editorial boardrooms, and then they jump high, but that heroism does not last in the minds and hearts of the masses of our people, because that heroism has a short lifespan. If in the view of the editorial boardroom you are no longer newsworthy they then begin to pick up on certain things that are negative and those that are going to destroy you. We have seen it happening with many people.
So I am cautioning members, particularly our colleagues, that we must not be tempted, because this issue basically says to us, "Look NCOP, to be liked and to be reported positively, especially when we deal with section 75(b) legislation, you must be critical even to your own self so that you are seen as being a rubber stamp". You must just oppose, hon member Tau, everything that comes from the NA according to the standards and terms of the big interests that are finding expression within the editorial boardrooms.
We must defy that logic, because we are not here because we were profiled in editorial boardrooms. We are here because our political parties had interest, confidence and trust that we will do what we are expected to do. We are here because the masses of our people have confidence and trust that we will do what we are supposed to do. On that note I think it is also important that we need to highlight certain provisions of the Constitution, particularly when it relates to the NCOP in relation to the legislative process.
If you look into the Constitution, quite clearly it does not speak the same language when it comes to the legislative powers of the NCOP. On section 76 processes, the Constitution consistently and throughout uses the words, "NCOP passes", and that is why there is mediation. If there is deadlock between the NCOP and the NA on a particular section 76 Bill, then there is mediation. Mediation as a parliamentary conflict resolution mechanism will finally come with an outcome, which will be accepted and the Bill will be handed to the President.
But Chairperson, in respect of the section 75 legislation, I think it is fundamentally important that we need to read what the Constitution intends to instruct us. It says that the NA will pass the laws, etc. It also says that the NCOP will consider and pass legislation from the NA. What is also more important is that it gives us two powers: It says the NCOP can pass any Bill from the NA with amendments or without. It also gives us the power to reject the Bill.
Now let me give you the flip side of this. If that Bill, whether it has been passed with amendments or has been rejected, goes back to the NA, that House is obliged by the Constitution to reconsider its position. Should the NA believe that they are right in their views as per the powers given to them, and are not convinced or persuaded by the views of the NCOP, they can pass that Bill, which will then be sent to the President for assent. I think that is finality on the matter. [Interjections.]
Hon Tolo is saying something. It is not I, Chair. [Laughter.] I am saying that we must be critical not to be overcritical about ourselves to a point where we forget how we should be dealing with these issues. So in this context the NCOP Select Committee on Social Services has agreed in broad terms with this Bill before us. But in doing that we have considered submissions that we received from various stakeholders. I must mention that submissions were by and large from the industry.
The industry is raising consistent issues, one of which is that South Africa as part of its drive to reduce tobacco-related harm, should actually begin to legalise alternative tobacco products, in particular the snooze - I think the hon Minister has alluded to this - and our view as the committee is that harm is harm, irrespective of its magnitude.
The position of South Africa in relation to this particular aspect is to reduce the harm. We are also convinced that when you look particularly at the statistics from the Western Cape on the expenditure in the public health hospitals in relation to tobacco-related diseases, you will actually become more convinced as to why as a country, as public representatives and as a society we should take the lead in ensuring that over and above the provisions of this legislation, we actually join the campaign to ensure that we raise awareness of our people to reduce smoking. And I will be one of those who should actually be given that particular counselling. [Applause.]
The chairperson has alluded to hon Tolo's quitting smoking, and I always pray every morning and wish that hon Tolo has quit for life now. Since I met him in Parliament he did quit before, but then it was only for two months and after that he was back again. [Applause.] So I am not sure, but I think it is an important thing that we may want to look at. [Interjections.]
Chairperson, I am just asking if the member could make it clear whether he supports what I heard the Chairperson said about the increase of penalties that must be applied to those people who smoke in places that are not designated for smoking.
Chair, I take that as a comment by the hon member. I do not know what the question is. I was going to answer the question. But as a law- abiding citizen I will support and abide by every enforcement in relation to the provisions of this Act, really. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, thank you, once again for allowing me to close the debate. Let me start off by thanking all the hon members for participating in this debate, but most importantly for supporting the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill. Proudly South African, I think we have done it again. [Applause.]
Of course, I can hear the DA raising concerns. Follow us: We are leading the way, and if we could, we would lead the rest of the world. I think we are destined to do so as South Africans, so follow us. Unfortunately, the date has passed. I would have invited you to do something else, but it has passed now.
Thank you very much for supporting the Bill. I think what we have just done is to endorse the amendment to improve the implementation of the Act and take into account new and emerging tobacco industry practices designed to circumvent the objects of the Act, as was articulated by the House Chair. Thank you very much for that. I think it then brings us in line also with the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and as I have said, we ratified that framework.
What we have just done is to commit ourselves to protect our communities, particularly the children, the poor and the women of this country. I am sure we can also influence other countries to do the same.
May I take this opportunity to please encourage the House Chair to come out very boldly and take a decision today? [Applause.] You can monitor him. He says henceforth he will not smoke. I am very grateful because next week is my birthday and that is my birthday present from you. Thank you very much. [Laughter.]
I think also what we have just done is to contribute towards reducing the health care costs which, as you will hear tomorrow and as those who were in alluded yesterday heard, are escalating at a phenomenal rate, and if we do not do anything about it the health care system might just collapse. Therefore, we have to do everything in our power as individuals and collectively to try and see what we can do to bring down the health care costs in South Africa. Of course, it is to protect ourselves, our communities and those that are targeted the most by the industry - the poor, the young people and the women in our country. Chairperson, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to once again close the debate. But before I take my seat, let me express my deep gratitude to the hon members for having finalised the Amendment Bill and the Bill itself. The first one is the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Bill - thank you very much, and also the African Traditional Health Practitioners Bill.
I must say that I am very grateful. We have gone a long way in this regard. What these two Bills do is to ensure access to health care services, be they conventional or traditional. I was in Limpopo and I saw how African traditional medicine is given its own status. I would invite hon members when they go on their oversight visits to visit two surgeries in Tafelkop to see how they have elevated African traditional medicine to its correct status. They do training and their infection control is incredible.
If you go into their pharmacy they've got Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 medicines. Their records are just something that we can learn from. In fact what they do is to ensure that African traditional medicine is recognised, to ensure that African traditional medicine is institutionalised in its own right and recognised accordingly in that context, but also to ensure that there is quality access to African traditional medicine.
We will be working very closely with the council to ensure that we do things that begin to bring back our dignity as Africans, that define who we are and ensure that we are not deterred along the way, because this is about who we are. I have asked on several occasions why it is that when we talk about Chinese traditional medicine people accept it and when we talk about Indian traditional medicine it is acceptable, but when you talk about African traditional medicine, it is seen as witchcraft and you are regarded on a heathen when you practise it. Those days have past and I want to thank this House for having passed the Bill to establish the council. You will be working very closely with the council.
Ngiyabonga, Sihlalo, ngokungivumela ukuthi ngijobelele ezinye izinto ezingahlangene ne-Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill. Ngiyabonga. [Ihlombe.] [Thank you, Chairperson, for allowing me to add some more things in respect of the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill. Thank you. [Applause.]]
Debate concluded.
Bill agreed to in accordance with section 75 of the Constitution.