Sihlalo, njengeNdlu Mkhandlu Wezifundakazi sidlala indima ebalulekile uma kwenziwa umthetho, ikakhulu lo mthetho esingawo namuhla lo obizwa ngokuthi yi "Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill".
Njengoba ozakwethu sebephawulile Sihlalo, ngenhloso yalo mthetho esiwuhlongozayo. Lapha asilwi namuntu kepha siphucula izimpilo zabantu, sibakhuthaza ukuthi bangashisi amaphaphu abo kanye nawabanye abaseduze nabo phecelezi loku esithi yi "passive smoking".
Malungu kufuneka nazi nani ukuthi njengekomidi lezempilo, asilona ikomidi lezifo kepha siyikomidi lezempilo. Nani malungu kufuneka nivikele umphakathi ungathathelwa yizifo abangazibizanga. Uthola umuntu eshayela inqola yakhe egibeze izingane ezincane kepha uyabhema phambi kwazo. Ngiyethemba ukuthi iningi lenu alikwenzi lokhu ngoba nizabe nephula umthetho.
Malungu qaphelisani abantu ukuthi akulungile ukuthi babheme usikilidi phambi kwezingane ngoba izingane lezi zihabula intuthu ezokwenza ukuthi amaphaphu azo angabi sesimeni esihle. Ngalo mthetho sithi phansi! ngababhema phansi kwezingane phansi! Eyokuthi akubhenyelwa emphakathini, ikakhulu endaweni zomphakathi masincome ukuthi lokhu sekuyahlonishwa.
Sonke sesibonile abantu abaningi uma ngabe bephambi kwendawo lapho kugcwele khona abantu, abasawukhiphi usikilidi wabo. Ngithemba nani malungu seniyaqaphela ukuthi abantu abaningi ababhemayo sebayawahlonipha lama lungelo abantu. Lapho siyancoma kepha ngeke sazi kulabo abahamba baye ezinkundleni zebhola njengalaba abahlala kuma "XX-strong" ukuthi ngabe khona kuyahlonishwa na.
Okunye okubalulekile ukuthi uma nidla ezitolo zokudla, ezinjengo Nandos noma oKentucky nakuzo zonke ezinye izindawo lapho kudlelwa khona, kuzofuneka niqaphele ukuthi indawo la kuhlala khona ababhemayo ingabe ikakelwe kahle na. Niqaphelise nanokuthi izingane ezincane azingeni nabazali bazo uma ngabe beyohlala kulezo ndawo ezinjalo.
Uma nimbona umzali ekwenza lokhu ningesabi ukubiza imenenja yesitolo, niyitshele ukuthi loko okwenzakalayo akukho emthethweni. Nimkhuthaze naye ukuthi njenge lungu lePhalamende nawe ungathanda kube kuhle ukuthi izingane lezi zifakwe lapho kungabhenyelwa khona.
Mihla lena malungu nani niyazi, manishayela emigwaqeni nibona loku okusa bafanyana bemi emakhoneni, bedayisa usikilidi bekubiza ngokuthi yi "loose cigarette" noma abanye bakubiza ukuthi ngetsotsi taal bathi "loose draw" abanye sebephucukile bathi ama "RDP".
Ngokomthetho lokhu akuvumelekile bephula umthetho kodwa ngoba bezama ukuziphilisa. Kuzofuneka sibabonise izindlela zokuthi bakwazi ukuziphilisa kunokuba badayise usikilidi, babe bengavezi ukuxwayisa abantu ukuthi ukubhema loku kuzobalimaza. Futhi kwesinye isikhathi lo sikilidi odayiswa emakhoneni besebeshilo ukuthi okunye kwawo kungama "fongkong", akubonisi ukuthi ingabe izinga le"nicotine" okanye i"tar" lingakanani.
Mhlawumbe Sekela Ngqongqoshe Wezempilo, kuzofuneka senze umthetho ophoqelela nalaba abadayisa emgwaqeni, ukuthi mhlawumbe bagqoke izingubo ezinophawu olubonisayo ukuthi ukubhema loku kubungozi. Ngithemba nabamabhizinisi ngibapha amacebo uma ngithi mabakhande lokhu esikubiza phecelezi sithi ama "reflector vests" asho ukuthi ukubhema kuyingozi noma akudwetshwe iphaphu lomuntu eselimosakele limoswa usikilidi.
Ngenyanga ka-Agasti siyikomidi savakashela ifemu ye"British American Tobacco" laphaya eHeidelburg, lapho besiyozibonela ngawethu ukuthi ingabe lengozi iqala kanjani ngaphambi kokuba ifike emaphashini akho. Saphinda futhi savakashela izitolo elokishini lase Ratanda, siyobheka ukuthi ingabe izimpawu bayazibeka na ezikhombayo ukuthi izingane ezingaphansi kweminyaka eyishumi nesishagalombili azidayiselwa usikilidi. Nakhona lapho sathola ukuthi bayawuthobela umthetho laba baka BAT.
Masibashayele ihlombe ngoba laba ababadayisela usikilidi bayabanika nezimpawu zokuveza ukuthi usikilidi awudayiselwa izingane. Inselele esayibona ukuthi laba bama "spaza-shops" nalaba abadayisa emgwaqeni bona abanalo uphawu olubonisayo ukuthi akudayiselwa izingane ezingaphansi kweminyaka eyishumi nesishagalombili. Nithemba ukuthi laba baka BAT bazazama bancede ababadayiselayo ukuze bagcine imakethe yabo.
Uma ngiphetha-ke Sihlalo, siyinhlangano kaKhongolose siyazi ukuthi ngo1955 senza umbiko wethu esiwubiza ngokuthi yi "Freedom Charter". Ngalokho besizama ukubonisa abantu ukuthi ezempilo ziyizinto ezibalulekile,nanokuthi thina singamalunga kaKhongolose sithemba ukuthi wonke umuntu uzophila impilo engcono, akwazi ukuthi aphile kahle futhi aphile isikhathi eside.
Niyazi ukuthi siyawakhuthaza amalunga ukuthi awophila lempilo esiyibiza ngokuthi yi "Healthy Life Styles" ngamanye amazwi sisho ukuthi ngaphambi kokuba udle, ubobuza kuqala ukuthi ngabe usawoti utheliwe nasekudleni.
Ungabothatha usawoti uthele ngoba uzobangela lezifo eziningi, ezihlangana nako loku bhema lokhu. Ngiyathemba ukuthi nalaba ababhema usikilidi bazakunciphisa nabo, ukuze baphile impilo ende kakhulu, Sihlalo. Siyabonga. [Ihlombe.] (Translation of isiZulu speech follows.)
[Ms N F MAZIBUKO: Chairperson, as the National Council of Provinces, we play a vital role in the passing of Bills, especially the one that we have convened here for today, the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill.
As my colleagues have spoken about the aims and objectives of the Bill, it is clear that we are by no means fighting anybody here but, on the contrary, we are trying to improve people's lives. We are encouraging them not to damage their lungs and those of the passive smokers next to them.
Hon members, you must know that as the Select Committee on Social Services, which includes health, we are not a committee of diseases but a health committee. It is also your duty, hon members, to protect the public from contracting diseases that they have not exposed themselves to. Sometimes you find someone driving his car with young children but smoking in front of them. I just hope that most of you here are not doing this because by so doing, you would be breaking the law.
As members you need to warn people that it is not right for them to smoke cigarettes in front of children because these children will, in turn, inhale smoke, which will cause their lungs not to be in a good state. And with this Bill, we are saying away with those who smoke in front of children, away! We are also generally pleased that no smoking is now taking place in public, especially in public places.
We have all seen that many people when they are in public places no longer simply take out their cigarettes and smoke. I hope that members have also noticed that most smokers are now respecting these human rights. We praise that, even though we are not sure if the same can be said of the people watching soccer matches in the stadia.
Another important thing is that when you eat out in restaurants like Nando's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and all other restaurants, you must check whether the section dedicated to smokers is properly enclosed. You must also check that young children are not going in there with their parents.
If you, as a Member of Parliament, see a parent who is doing that you must not be ashamed to call the restaurant manager and tell her that what is happening is unlawful. You must also advise her that you, as a Member of Parliament, would like to see the kids being placed outside of the designated smoking areas.
Every day when you are driving on the roads, hon members, you see young boys standing on street corners selling loose cigarettes, which in Tsotsi lingo are called "loose draws", while some have upgraded and are using a different lingo in that they call them "RDPs".
This is unlawful. These young boys are breaking the law, even though they are trying to make a living. We need to show them other means of making a living instead of selling cigarettes, especially when they are not displaying the warnings on packages about the dangers of smoking. And besides, sometimes some of the cigarettes sold on the street corners are fakes, as mentioned earlier, and they do not show the levels of nicotine and tar in them.
Maybe, Deputy Minister of Health, we need to pass a law that will force street vendors to also wear gear showing that smoking is dangerous. I hope that business people out there are aware that I am now effectively giving them tips to start manufacturing reflector vests, on which would be written that smoking is dangerous, or perhaps they could have graphics of a person's lungs that have been damaged by smoking cigarettes.
In August we as a committee visited the British American Tobacco factory in Heidelberg, where we wanted to see for ourselves the processes that these dangerous goods through when they are manufactured, before they reach one's lungs. We also visited the shops in the township of Ratanda to check if they are displaying signs stating that tobacco is not sold to children under the age of 18. There too, we found that they are complying with the BAT laws.
Let us applaud these companies which sell tobacco to these shops because they also provide them with signs stating that tobacco should not be sold to children under the age of 18. I just hope that the BAT will try and help those that they are selling to in order to keep themselves in the market.
In closing, Chairperson, as the African National Congress we all know that in 1955 we came up with the Freedom Charter. With it we were trying to show people that health matters are important, and that as members of the ANC we hope that everybody will live a better, longer life.
You know that we encourage our members to live according to what we call a "healthy lifestyle", in other words, we mean that before one eats, one must first enquire if food has been seasoned with salt. One must not just add salt, because one may end up contracting diseases that add up to the problems created by smoking.
Chairperson, I hope that even those who are smoking cigarettes will smoke fewer cigarettes, so that they can live longer. I thank you. [Applause.]]