Change smoking law to save charity work

Brian Leroni and Graham Rebello argued before the portfolio committee on health that unless the clause was changed, much of the social work funded by the company would have to be halted.

Massmart, the parent company of stores such as Game and Macro, each year spends 1% of its after-tax profit on social responsibility programmes, which support school feeding schemes and help under-privileged women.

The problem is that the company does sell tobacco products through its stores, and the law says that no tobacco retailer should organise or promote any organised activity or make any financial contribution in respect of any organised activity.

Massmart's R34.8 billion turnover last year included tobacco sales amounting to 4.6%. Leroni and Rebello argued that the law should exempt those retailers whose tobacco sales amount to less that 10% of turnover.

The health committee is hearing evidence from stakeholders and interested parties on the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill, which was tabled earlier this month by health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.

Tobacco companies have been arguing before the committee that a total ban on advertising should not be imposed, and that advertising at point of sale should be allowed.

Steen Hjortholm from Philip Morris, for example, argued that to exclude trade advertisements would completely halt corporate communication.

"A business card, a phone call, a price list, a letter, a job advertisement a store visit by a sales rep would constitute an advertisement or promotion," his submission said.

But Patricia Lambert, a former adviser to the health minister, firmly said that trade adverts should not be allowed. She told MPs that she had seen a trade publication which did far more the extol the benefits of smoking, it used a naked woman - wearing only lace panties - to do so.

She called for point-of-sale advertising to be limited to the words: "Cigarettes for sale here."

She said that tobacco companies already flagrantly flouted the rules on advertising by for example advertising on change mats.

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