Tobacco laws should not spare tourist destinations - Kgosi

BABOKI KAYAWE
Staff Writer | Thursday October 27, 2011 00:00

 

Kgosi Lotlaamoreng was responding to Tuesday's presentation at the House of Chiefs by the Anti-Tobacco Network (ATN) regarding the tobacco control situation in the country. He said there is a tendency for laws not to be applicable at some facilities like they are at other and he gave the example of lodges and hotels in the case of alcohol trading hours.

'We want smoking regulated in all places whether they are tourist areas or not because once you are in a country, you have to abide by its laws,' he said. He added that discriminatory laws exist because legislators are protecting their interests since they have a large stake in the tourism sector.

This emerged after the ATN chairperson Bontle Mbongwe pointed to a number of irregularities pertaining to tobacco control in the Maun area. 'The industry is breaking the law in that it sells to street vendors at wholesale prices hence evading tax and tourists smoke anywhere they wish in Maun,' she said.

Kgosi Lotlamoreng said it is important to implement the Tobacco Control Act because the law is being violated and there is little knowledge of its existence. He said no one has been brought before traditional courts to answer to charges of smoking in public. Other members of Ntlo Ya Dikgosi called for the localisation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) given the vigorous advertising and promotion of tobacco products by the industry.

Kgosi Toteng Nzonga said it is crucial for anti-smoking education to be widely spread especially in schools because research has shown that most people start smoking at a young age. Mbongwe said that research suggests that the southern African market absorbs 60 billion cigarettes annually, which is higher than the regional production capacity of 50 billion.

'Another setback is with regard to the gaps in current legislation, especially concerning coverage of the provisions of the FCTC, some of which include deceptive labels on tobacco products such as light and mild, the sale of single cigarettes and illicit trade of tobacco products,' Mbongwe said.

She urged traditional leaders to lobby against smoking as it is more costly than HIV and AIDS to both individuals and especially to developing countries where wages are low. In addition, tobacco smoking is associated with diseases like cancer, high blood pressure and stroke.