Dhlomo applauds youth participation in Tobacco Control Bill hearings

FILE PHOTO: A man vapes at a coffeeshop.

2 minutes

Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health, Dr. Sibongiseni Dhlomo, says he is impressed with the participation of young people in the public hearings held in Trompsburg discussing the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill. Young people in the area shared mixed reactions, with a majority of them supporting the bill.

Participants say there has been an over-glamourisation of electronic delivery systems such as vapes among young people, exposing them to harmful chemicals and addiction.

Dhlomo says the bill seeks to regulate smoking and regulate the sale, packaging, and advertising of tobacco products and electronic delivery systems.

“This bill is not so much about me. Yes, it is about my country, but it has to do with young people. If they come up and say listen to our voices as young people, it matters greatly to us. So, I hope young people could also take advantage of this part to say we decide their future. We decide the future of the country, that has something to do with them. And they must actually participate in such bills because issues of regulating smoking and regulating tobacco have a lot to do with young people,” says Dhlomo.