Deputy Speaker, hon members, it is indeed an honour for me to lead this crucial debate today not only as part of our commitment to improving the quality of life of our people, but also to comply with what our Constitution and the National Health Act demands of us. I have no doubt in my mind ... [Interjections.]
Order! Hon Minister, let us try to get an audience and allow those people who would like to leave to do so quietly, please. You may now proceed, Madam Minister.
I have no doubt in my mind that as legislators you will agree with me that what the Constitution of this country and the National Health Act demand is that we work without favour or prejudice to ensure that, indeed, we do our best to improve the quality of life of our people.
I have no doubt in my mind also that what we are doing today is precisely geared at enabling us to achieve that strategic objective. Allow me to point out that improving the quality of life of our people is not something that we can only achieve by building clinics and hospitals. Neither can it be achieved solely through the mere provision of drugs and other medicines.
The achievement of this goal requires all of to create and provide an environment that will minimise the chances of our people being exposed to diseases, both communicable and noncommunicable. What we are therefore doing today is aimed at reaching consensus on this critical matter within the context of our Healthy Lifestyles Campaign and thus giving effect to both the supreme law of this land, which is the Constitution, and the National Health Act.
As we debate this amending Bill, therefore, let us do so with the full conviction and with the full knowledge and understanding that tomorrow will indeed be better than today. What is equally important when debating this Bill, is for us to approach this debate with a fair understanding of the burden that tobacco-related diseases continue to place on the health status of our people and on our country's health system.
Therefore, it is my wish that this amending Bill gets similar attention to that which was given to the one passed by this Parliament in 2007, because it is the second part of the same Bill and the goal, which is to protect our people against the harmful effects of tobacco products, remains the same.
Perhaps it is appropriate that I deal with the accusation that as the Department of Health we did not consult enough in our quest to give life to this Bill and, indeed, in order to safe lives. The chairperson of the portfolio committee will surely agree with us based on the evidence, both oral and written - indeed, we complied with all the consultation requirements as far as this matter is concerned. This we did within the context of both the Constitution and the National Health Act, but we were also guided by that which we reasonably considered to be the common goal of all our people.
We are fully conscious not only of the sensitive nature of the work that we do and the Constitution which guides us, but also the human and individual liberties that allow people to conduct trade in a way that is permissible by the laws of our country. And, therefore, we could not have been driven by malice or hatred - contrary to what some seek to suggest.
The Tobacco Amendment Bill before us focuses on the trade and marketing of tobacco products. Hence, it proposes amendments that seek to improve further the operation of the Act and close any gaps and loopholes that have been used by the tobacco industry to circumvent the objects of the current Act.
The main provisions of this amending Bill are to strengthen the sections which prohibit advertising, promotion and sponsorship; set standards for packing and labelling of tobacco products including pictorial warnings on packages; remove misleading package descriptions such as "light" and "mild"; control the ingredients in and emissions from tobacco products; and to increase penalties for breaking the law.
The publication of this Bill was approved by Cabinet in 2003 and it was gazetted for public comment from 17 October 2003 to 17 November 2003. My department collated a substantive number of submissions received from individual members of the public, retailers, the tobacco industry, its associates and health organisations in line with what the laws of our country require as far as legislative consultation is required.
In general, the majority of the submissions supported the proposed amendment to the Bill, except some submissions which made alternative proposals that were not necessarily in line with the objectives of the Bill. The Bill has therefore been amended taking into consideration comments received.
Allow me to provide this House with a clause-by-clause analysis of the Bill in order to ensure fairness and balance in dealing with this matter.
Clause 1 seeks to amend some of the definitions in the present tobacco legislation to extend the application of the Tobacco Products Control Act and to close loopholes that exist in the present tobacco legislation.
Clause 2 seeks to prohibit the advertising, promotion and distribution of tobacco products as well as prescribing the information required in respect of the packaging and labelling of tobacco products. It seeks to prescribe conditions under which sponsorship by tobacco industry and associate industries will be allowed.
Clause 3 seeks to prescribe standards for manufacturing and importation of tobacco products in the Republic of South Africa. Clause 4 seeks to protect children by prohibiting the owner or a person in charge of a business to allow any person in his or her employment or under his or her control, who is under the age of 18 years, to sell or offer to sell any tobacco products on the business premises. Clause 5 seeks to prohibit any distribution which is free or at a reduced price, or reward to anyone with tobacco products. Clause 6 seeks to prohibit access to vending machines by persons under the age of 18.
Clause 7 seeks to prescribe signs in respect of tobacco products and information that must be displayed at the point of sale and on the vending machines. This section also seeks to prescribe the quantities of a specific tobacco product to be sold in a single package. Clause 8 seeks to increase the penalty for contravening provisions of the Act to increase its value as a deterrent.
In line with what I've said at the beginning, as the Department of Health and as government, we are all fully mindful of the fact that the tobacco industry is a leading business in this country and therefore it cannot be accurate that malice and hatred influenced us in approaching this Bill, as some would like to suggest.
What drives us is the consensus based on the submissions - including those from the tobacco industry - and the consultation process that tobacco products are indeed harmful, compromise the health of user and nonuser alike and therefore place a burden on our country's health system. In line with the International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and guided by our own moral obligation as government, we cannot simply turn a blind eye to this matter.
Looking at the global picture, as far as tobacco use is concerned, it is recorded that most users of tobacco products start smoking before the age of 18, with almost a quarter of those beginning before the age of 10. The younger children are when they start experimenting with smoking, the more likely they are to become regular tobacco users and the less likely they are to quit.
The Tobacco industry has taken this opportunity to lure young people through sponsorship, advertising and glamorisation of tobacco products by falsely associating the use of tobacco product with success, adventure, appeal and glamour. This creates in the minds of our young ones the impression that tobacco products generally signify progress as far as life is concerned.
The message I wish to put across to our young people is that this projection of success is incorrect and dangerous. The use of tobacco products is harmful.
I know, or thought, that somewhere in the gallery of this House there are representatives of the tobacco industry - or they may be listening from somewhere else - who are keen to listen and hear which direction this debate is taking. I have no doubt in my mind that as responsible fathers, mothers, grandmothers and grandfathers, wherever they are listening to this debate, they surely will agree with us that trade and profiteering cannot be all that inform and guide our human existence. I am sure that as responsible members of our society, they will agree with us that what we do today is geared at improving the health and quality of life of our people. As responsible corporate citizens, they should agree with us that spending billions of dollars worldwide each year to spread the marketing net as widely as possible to attract more users and paralyse global health in the context of severe challenges, cannot be morally acceptable.
Concerning the proposed new ways of packaging and labelling of tobacco products globally, many people misunderstand, underestimate or are not fully aware of the risk of morbidity and premature mortality caused by tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
There is persuasive evidence that text plus picture-based health warnings on tobacco product packaging tend to provoke an increased emotional response, are more salient and potentially more effective than text-only warnings. Pictures may also be better able to provide information to those with low levels of literacy or low income, who may have little access to other health information. Using a range of messages increases the likelihood of impact across different population subgroups as different messages resonate with different people.
I have no doubt in my mind that having outlined the context and rationale for doing this work, we can count on your support in ensuring that as the sun rises tomorrow, our people will say with confidence that today is indeed better than yesterday.
Over the years, as a country, we have been a shining star insofar as tobacco control globally is concerned. Later this year, our country will be hosting the Third Conference of the Parties in Durban as part of the efforts of nations of the world to take stock of how much work we have done as individual countries as far as control of tobacco products and promoting primary health care is concerned.
For us, the fact that this conference will take place on our soil, is indicative of the appreciation that countries of the world have for us regarding tobacco control and compliance with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, of which we are a signatory. [Time expired.]
You may give us a concluding sentence. But not a page! Thank you, hon Minister. [Laughter.]
Madam Deputy Speaker, allow me to rise in support of the Medicines Control Amendment Bill. This is yet another block in our endeavour as a country to protect the public from the dangers of smoking.
Both those involved in the tobacco industry and those opposed to the use of tobacco, as well as the policymakers whose responsibility it is to serve the public, agree that tobacco is uniquely dangerous and its use is bad for both the health and economy. It makes workers sick, therefore increases health care costs and reduces productivity in all sectors of the economy. The fact is that tobacco is perhaps the only legal product that kills when the user uses it exactly as the manufacturer has intended. There is no such a thing as the safe use of any tobacco product. If, therefore, we all agree with this point, why then go the route of legislating against tobacco products?
This is because even though we may all agree with the points as raised, the devil is in the detail and there is a divergence of interests that then comes into play. The tobacco manufacturers do so in order to maximise profits, whereas our agenda as legislators and government is to protect the public from harmful products and thus promote good health and a healthy lifestyle; hence the amendment to this particular Act, Act No 93, as amended in 1999 and 2007.
The purpose of the amendments are, in a nutshell, to close loopholes that exist in the current Act in a way that better protects and promotes public health; to strengthen the section that prohibits advertising and regulates the promotion and labelling of tobacco products in order to avoid issues of "mild" and other so-called nefarious ways of promoting tobacco products; and to strengthen the Act so as to better protect and promote the interests of the public.
Even though the 1999 Act banned tobacco advertising and its promotion, the industry found new measures to circumvent these provisions. In other words, the industry found other means to attract new smokers - especially young children and the youth as entrants to the use of tobacco - such as the use of the internet, smses and other marketing means. Some marketers of tobacco even went to schools and clubs and offered free tobacco, knowing full-well that once people get hooked or addicted it is very difficult to quit.
The Bill now prohibits any form of advertising in whatever form or medium. Even in cases where people produce clothing using the brands of tobacco products such as on fashionable clothes, which we sometimes see in leading stores, it should be to an extent that it is not seen, or perceived to be, promoting tobacco products or their use. The Bill states that no person shall advertise or promote or cause any person to advertise or promote tobacco products either through direct or indirect means, including sponsorship of organisations, etc.
We have thus defined advertising in relation to tobacco products in a way that says tobacco promotion is to maximise sales and creates awareness and recommendations for the use of tobacco products. This therefore is the crux of this amendment. It is fundamental for all of us to understand that the tobacco industry and its manufacturers focus most of their resources on advertising, because it is this activity that helps the sales, and ways and means of boosting sales, with an inordinate amount of resources being expended on this to maximise profit.
The other aspect is that in this Bill, also the question of pro-packaging information that now is prohibited should be done in a way that must not be misleading, false, deceitful and erroneous. Every avenue that could be used, be it at displays, wholesale or retail outlets, is now covered in the Bill and all are regulated in a manner so that principally the user, and the public in particular, are protected from the dangers of smoking.
It is not just a slogan but it is the truth that tobacco is dangerous and kills. The Bill will make a significant contribution to reducing the health, economic and environmental harm caused by tobacco use. Already evidence is there that the previous interventions of the Act have helped to reduce smoking in South Africa.
The ANC supports this Bill and we would like to thank the many members of the public who came to make their submissions and gave their co-operation. This assisted in making a positive input to the final product, which we think will once again make South Africa a pacesetter for the developing countries.
We can say without fear of contradiction that we have tried to be thorough and accommodating in our public participation process. We can therefore say that the product we are presenting today enjoys the broad support of all those who have taken the time and energy to come and make submissions to the portfolio committee.
When thanking everyone in this regard, the ANC also wants to say that we all agree that it is not only we, the portfolio committee members and others who are interested in the public health industry, who buy into this product, but the tobacco industry itself has actually come to agree at this particular point.
Deputy Speaker, allow me to thank the director-general and his team in the Department of Health for their diligence and support during this process and, equally, members of the portfolio committee for their patience. They were thorough and diligent in dealing with this piece of legislation. The ANC supports this Bill. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Chairperson, any legislation designed to protect the health of our children is most welcome. The essence of the object of the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill is to reduce incidence of smoking in young children and the health impact of tobacco use and is indeed applauded.
However, when legislation aimed at protecting one sector of the society, namely children, punishes the free choice of another section of the society, which is adults, we must question the balance of how the rights of all the individuals are protected. In the ten-minute break that we had when the division was about to be called, one of our members went out to have a cigarette, on the one hand. On the other hand, a member from our party who has smoked for 31 years, decided it was in the best interest of his health to quit - after 31 years. Now, these are the choices that I am talking about. Restrictive legislation is not the way to achieve primary health objectives.
The overzealous foot soldiers from the Department of Health were hell-bent on pushing through this Bill and spent much of their time vilifying the tobacco industry. I also suspect that the portfolio committee was misled on the department's consultation with the tobacco industry.
The DA supports the amendment of banning the sale of tobacco products at educational institutions which caters for under-18-year-olds. But at universities there are only a handful of 17-year-olds. I ask: Why ban the sale of cigarettes at universities? What about the majority of students over the age of 18 and the adult staff who work on campus? This overregulation is a disproportionate interference with the freedom of adults to choose and purchase tobacco products. There are two areas that the DA has issues with. The first one is the restriction on vending machines. The proposed amendment allows for the Minister to decide where vending machines selling tobacco products may be placed. This amendment flies in the face of free enterprise. Cigarettes are legal products and South Africa is not a nanny state.
The second matter that we take issue with is the prohibition of the sale of tobacco products through the internet. It is quite clear that the Minister of Health does not share the President of South Africa's love for the internet. We live in the global age. The Deputy Speaker herself is a great proponent of the IT age. Online shopping has become the order of the day. Many people shop for groceries, clothes, alcohol and cigarettes via the internet. Yet, the amendment introduces a measure as draconian as this. In this day and age, banning sales and purchases on the internet is bizarre. Again, I understand that we want to protect under-18s, but why do we punish adults for making choices?
This is the fourth major overhaul of tobacco control legislation in just over a decade. Approximately 10 million cigarettes are sold illegally in South Africa every day. This is a total excise loss of approximately R1,4 billion annually for government. The consequence of overregulation will facilitate and encourage the expansion of the illegal trade and associated criminal activities like tax avoidance and disregard for public health warnings. We have passed legislation in this House that allows children from the age of 12 years to have abortions and use contraception without parental consent, and here we are, running around and banning the sale of cigarettes at universities to students of 18 years old and above. The Minister should exercise her nanny inclinations on sensible regulations based on sound scientific research, and embark on public health education and campaigns rather than punishing adults who choose to indulge in their freedom of choice.
Chairperson, the IFP is a party that advocates freedom of choice. However, we underpin our policies with ubuntu - the English equivalent of which is respect, compassion and integrity.
How does this relate directly to smoking, with regard to our selection of how much to regulate the tobacco industry for public protection and how much to leave to individual choice? If there is a single industry that offers a classic model of the need for regulation of the private sector for the protection of the public, it is the tobacco industry.
The industry makes huge profits from promoting a habit that is the single most unequivocal cause of lung cancer, emphysema, coronaries, vascular disease, high blood pressure and a host of other diseases.
It is no wonder the South African stock exchange looks forward to British American Tobacco, which posted a profit of 2,27 billion last year, as an independent player. Yet, some representatives of this industry were technically tedious and intimidating in our path towards concretising this legislation. There was a brief period in the process of adopting this Amendment Bill when it appeared to have slipped off the agenda. This would also have negated the 2006 Amending Bill, as the two are interdependent. Some members of Parliament - I was happily one of them - stood their ground and we now have a completed Bill.
But one must not put it past the industry to try yet again to stall implementation through impacting regulations. Unfortunately Parliament will play no role in the regulations, which are considerable and left to the Minister for the sake of flexibility. The committee resolved that the department must come back with those to ensure that they support the purpose of the Bill.
We have tried to keep tobacco sales off the internet. Why? Because it not controllable and would negate all our efforts in this legislation, particularly amongst the youth. We have also attempted to curb the sly ways that the industry sometimes uses to have so-called industrial communication land up in school lockers and fostering smoking among the youth.
The industry argues that we will not be able to implement these laws. They could be right, but we have made an effort to conscientise the public and to limit the impact of a health scourge. The public will have to play its role to ensure that these laws are enforced. I thank you. [Time expired.] The IFP supports the Bill.
Chairperson, hon Ministers and hon members, the Bill before us further refines the initial intentions of government with regard to the control of tobacco products. Time does not permit me to explore the details of the latest amendment; suffice it to say that there are changes in the detail, but not in our over-all policy direction.
Allow me to comment on the current legal dispensation regarding tobacco. It is complicated and difficult to enforce and it seems to become more so with each new amendment. Government is also running the risk of being accused of unfairly litigating against one industry while other industries, with equally dubious effects on the health of the nation, can seemingly get away with murder. The economic and social costs of smoking are undeniable, but can we honestly claim that alcohol exerts a lower toll? What about the various products that contributes to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes? We have a responsibility to pursue all health issues with equal vigour. The UDM supports the amending Bill. I thank you.
Chair, the ACDP supports this Bill which aims to address loopholes in legislation with regard to the advertising, sponsorship, promotion, packaging and labelling of tobacco products.
The Bill also prohibits the sale of tobacco products to and by persons under the age of 18 years and increases the fine for contravening the provisions of the Act. The manufacturers have successfully exploited these loopholes in order to continue advertising their products, and their ingenuity would be impressive if it were not for the reality of the damage done by tobacco products.
In 2006 Judge Gladys Kessler of the United States wrote -
This case is about an industry that survives, and profits, from selling a highly addictive product which causes diseases that lead to a staggering number of deaths per year, an immeasurable amount of human suffering and economic loss, and has a profound effect on our national healthcare system.
One of many important, but highly contested clauses in the Bill prohibits the sale, supply, distribution or buying of any tobacco product through the internet. Without this clause, every computer with internet is, as the department pointed out, like an unattended cigarette vending machine - making it way easier and cheaper for kids to buy cigarettes. Children as young as 11 years old have been successful more than 90% of the time in purchasing cigarettes over the internet in the United States.
Tobacco is a uniquely dangerous consumer product. It is the only legal product that kills the user when used exactly as the manufacturer intends. In South Africa tobacco kills one person every 20 minutes or 30 000 per year. Effective tobacco control legislation is essential and this will necessitate keeping up with, if not ahead of, the tobacco industry's creative ways of getting around existing legislation.
Arguments by the tobacco industry that proposed ... [Time expired.] I thank you.
Chairperson and hon members, it has been a long time since the Department of Health has come up with a good piece of legislation such as this one for controlling tobacco products, as it seeks to give credence to the adage that prevention is better than cure.
The UCDP will support this Bill because it seeks to protect our young people against the evil of smoking. It is good that it prohibits the advertisement and sale of tobacco products to persons younger than 16 years old. Children of this age may not come near, let alone use, tobacco products. We all know that the fumes of tobacco are unhealthy, even in the ecology. Smoking can cause heart diseases and strokes. It can hurt the physical fitness of young people. Nicotine is, after all, as addictive as heroin, cocaine and alcohol, and this poses a problem for adolescents.
It is good that the ANC does not quibble about the rights of people pertaining to their bodies, as they do with abortion and same-sex marriages. This time they know and accept that young people's bodies should be protected and defended, because teens who smoke are more likely to use alcohol.
The big question is the extent to which the legislation is enforceable. We know of instances when the law-enforcement agencies say it is difficult to do so. [Time expired.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, it is scientifically proven that it takes up to 30 days to clear the smoke of one cigarette from your lungs.
As a result of chain-smoking many end up with cancer and other diseases. Either way, the tobacco industry remains a lucrative market drawing newcomers from as early an age as nine years. While laws exist that children below the age of 18 years may not purchase tobacco, adults still use children as the mules for their daily purchase and shopkeepers are more than willingly to sell to minors to keep up their profits. We need to introduce harsh punishment for this and look at the method of randomly monitoring sales of tobacco to minors. How else are our children accessing tobacco if not buying directly from the shops?
We need to take a serious look at this hubbly-bubbly, also known as a water pipe, and falsely believed to be healthier than cigarettes. Its smoke contains numerous toxins known to cause lung and heart disease. While water does absorb some of the nicotine, there is still a sufficient dose of this drug to cause addiction. The MF supports the Bill. [Time expired.]
Chairperson, hon Minister, Deputy Ministers, hon members, leaders of the Department of Health fraternity who are here, stakeholders in the tobacco industry, campaigners against tobacco smoking, ladies and gentlemen, the SA Medical Association argued in its submission to the public hearing on the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill that, in our beloved South Africa, one person dies every 20 minutes as a result of a tobacco-related disease.
This, according to our esteemed professional doctors' association, translates into three people an hour, 72 people per day and a staggering 26 280 people per year. The figures quoted by the National Council Against Smoking are worse. It stated that approximately 42 000 people die annually in South Africa as a result tobacco-related diseases.
The impact of these deaths on our country's economy, skills base and health care system cannot be overemphasised; it's enormous. These deaths could be said to be unnecessary because they are entirely preventable by not smoking. Smoking kills! The ANC government, in its quest to better the health of the nation as a whole, has introduced a series of amendments to our tobacco legislation to further reduce the impact of smoking on the health of our nation. These amendments were introduced in 1999, 2007 and of course today.
The strategic purpose of this Bill before this House is to comply with the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which came into force on 27 February 2005, closing, as our Minister has indicated, existing loopholes in the Act and strengthening the Act to better protect and promote public health.
The production, manufacturing and sale of tobacco are legal activities in South Africa, and the industry's contribution to employment, foreign exchange earnings and our state coffers via taxation is duly recognised. This Bill does not intend to place a ban on tobacco products but, amongst other things, intends to limit its availability to children so as to reduce its impact on them and to promote healthier lives.
Today it is possible and legal for a child to go into a shop and purchase tobacco products. Research done by the SA Medical Research Council points to the alarming fact that one in every five children between the ages of 13 and 15 smokes. The research also reveals that between 80 000 and 100 000 children start smoking every day throughout the world.
Children who start smoking will in all probability continue to smoke in adulthood and therefore substantially increase their probability of succumbing to a tobacco-related illness.
Smoking is a learned behaviour and is highly addictive. This Bill intends to discourage tobacco use amongst children by increasing the age limit for children to be allowed to purchase any tobacco products from the age of 16 years to the age 18 years. Through these amendments, a child who is a person in terms of the Child Care Act - a person under the age of 18 years - cannot buy cigarettes. It will be an offence to supply or sell a tobacco product to a child.
In addition, this Bill also outlaws the sale or supply of any confectionary or toy product that resembles a tobacco product. These sweets which look like cigarettes begin to entice children as young as five, six and seven years of age into the habit of smoking and can no longer, in terms of this Bill, be sold or given to children. Our children's entry into the world of smoking must be delayed for as long as possible in order to protect their health. These amendments, which I may say enjoyed the full support of the tobacco industry, will, at the end, hopefully contribute to this delay.
The availability through the sale of tobacco products at any health facility, including pharmacies and educational institutions where there may be students younger than the age of 18 years, should not be allowed in terms of this Bill. Our hospitals and pharmacies, which are institutions for healing and recovering from illnesses cannot, through the sale and supply of tobacco products, contribute to the festering of diseases.
This Bill also proposes to place a restriction on the use of vending machines in the sale and supply of tobacco products. It is illogical that vending machines that sell beverages or confectionary items also sell tobacco products because such machines are usually and frequently accessed by children - and, of course, nonsmokers like me, would be unnecessarily be exposed to tobacco products against our will.
It is, therefore, correct that vending machines that sell and supply tobacco products, should only do that. Those machines should be designated to places where children cannot access them. The designation and placement of such vending machines must be done in accordance with the direction of the Minister of Health, Comrade Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who is responsible for the health of our nation. Such vending machines must display the notices that contain the necessary information regarding the tobacco product as prescribed by the Act. In addition, this Bill also outlaws the sale or supply or distribution of tobacco products through the internet, postal services or any other electronic media, because the question of age verification will be a difficult one if not impossible to enforce. However, this prohibition does not apply to any commercial communication between tobacco manufacturers, importers, trade partners, employees and shareholders.
These matters are provided for in the Bill that all stakeholders involved in its processing may have agreed to. It is our view as the ANC that this Bill will close the loopholes in the Act, especially those that have allowed tobacco products to be promoted amongst young people.
Life is not an academic exercise. The government is right to protect the nation, especially against destructive habits like smoking. The ANC therefore has no qualms in supporting the passing of this Bill. I thank you. [Applause.]
Chairperson, I did mention that later this year we shall be hosting the Third Conference of Parties on tobacco control.
This conference will take place shortly after the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Alma Ata Declaration, which places emphasis on primary health care in line with our own approach to the provision and delivery of health care in this country.
I am, therefore, delighted that this House understands and has approached this Amending Bill and the debate within the context of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the primary health care approach. I want to thank the hon members for supporting the Amending Bill.
We listened to hon Kalyan. Honestly, as a South African, I thought she should agree with the mothers of this country, mothers of reason, that trade and profiteering cannot be all that informs and guides our human existence. The exercise of choices has to occur within a particular context which, in this case, is the promotion and protection of public good.
Chairperson, let me thank, in particular, the hon chairperson of the committee, Comrade James Ngculu, for being the anchor that has been driving this Bill. I know that, in driving this Bill, he was also guided by the vision of the ruling party, the ANC, as far as health and health delivery is concerned. I, therefore, thank him for being a disciplined cadre of the majority party in our Parliament. Masizithande sonke futhi sithandane [Let us love ourselves and love others.] Thank you very much. Debate concluded.
Bill read a second time.