The WHO Director General’s Award for Leadership in Global Tobacco Control was presented to Mbongwe in Molepolole during commemorations of the ‘World No Tobacco Day’.
Presenting the award, the WHO Botswana representative Dr Jean Kalilani said that Mbongwe represented Botswana throughout the negotiations with total commitment and outstanding contributions. “The award I am just about to present recognises the leadership played by the country as represented by Bontle Mbongwe at the inter-Governmental Negotiations for Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC),” she said. Mbongwe said she was grateful to receive the honour and shares the joy with the people of Botswana.
The FCTC treaty came after years of negotiations and was adopted by 192 countries at the World Health Assembly in May 2003. Mbongwe said that the FCTC bans tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship such as Philip Morris/Altrias notorious Marlboro man.
She said Botswana was the first to ban tobacco advertising in the African region in 1992.
Meanwhile, Setshwane Malakaila, former smoker, gave testimony of how he was addicted to cigarette smoking for 22 years. “I developed a pain in my lungs and coughed but when I went to the hospital I denied that I was a smoker. It was after I developed sores on my fingers and toes and earning a nickname ‘menwana phezulu’ that I sought help,” he confessed.
Community Health services offered Malakaila counselling, treatment and now he has started a Stop Smoking Support Group. He said the group encourages people to stop smoking and meets every Tuesday evening at 5:30pm at the Showgrounds in Gaborone.
Malakaila said they will start a house-to-house campaign against tobacco use around the country soon.
