Government has attributed the continued violation of the ban on smoking in public to the inertia by some local authorities to prosecute the offenders.
Local Government and Housing Minister Ben Tetamashimba said in an interview in Lusaka today that some local authorities have shelved the law and paid a blind eye to the lawbreakers.
Mr. Tetamashimba observed that people will continue breaking the law if councils do not move in and take to task people who choose to disobey the law.
He advised the councils to be action oriented and ensure that pieces of legislation are implemented for the public good.
Mr. Tetamashimba said it will not do for local authorities to shun the implementation of by-laws and other pieces of legislation.
He said the ban on smoking in public should to be implemented and observed as smoking in public has dire consequences on the health of the public.
Mr. Tetamashimba noted that smoking in public has resulted in fatal diseases such as lung cancer and other chronic diseases.
He said because of the health hazard that smoking in public causes, councils should not shy away from prosecuting those found smoking in public.
Mr. Tetamashimba further appealed to people to stop smoking in public as doing so is in violation of the law.
Government recently introduced a law banning smoking in public but some people have continued defying the law.
This are subjects you should be discussing Teta, not the neosense you are known for
I meant” these”
In Germany it is the other way round. Smoking in Public is allowed and regulated indoors!!
Whilest agreeing with Mr Teta, it is practically challenging to see how coucils would enforce that law. Perhaps we citizens ourselves are to blame because we accept to be in an environment where a smoker could just light, splif and blow in all directions. Another thing is that the councils do not have a sufficient number of bakanyangu or bakonkefunde like it used to be in Kaunda days.
There are serious matters that should not be allowed in publich. Beer drinking for instance. I see workers of the publich service drinking in public. I also saw one picture of a soldier drinking upon arrival at the Lusaka International airport ( In Uniform) !!
let me read
This is the reason alot of pipo are dying in the zambia, Passive smoking is the involuntary inhalation of smoke, called secondhand smoke (SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), from tobacco products. It occurs when tobacco smoke permeates any environment, causing its inhalation by people within that environment.
There is Scientific evidence shows that exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke causes disease, disability, and death played a central role in the debate over the harms and regulation of tobacco, please let s get serious about this cos prevention is better than cure.
Enforcement will be almost impractical but worth a try.Maybe there should be a reward for catching a smoker in public!!
I agree with Makweti MN,a reward will make people become serious and stop smoking for fear of sum1 benefiting after catching them.
This is a very big task for the council to handle alone. I believe that even the public can play a role in helping the council by identifying and discouraging all culprits and offenders of the same. There are still people out there who would get a ciger and light it up on a public bus, public houses etc…There is need to actually apprehend all would offenders of the same.
This requires concerted efforts by the citizens of this country. How can a council employee who has not been paid for months enforce this ban? practically impossible.
This will take an effort by all Zambians, its a good move and the next thing this governement should do is learn from these developed countires on how they are managing to enforce this law. They need to control the sell of tobacco coz right now even a 3 year old kid can be sent to buy cigarates no questions asked! Alcohol should also be controlled but the governement. How do you have a father drunk as early as 7:00am in the morning, what time does he have to look for food for his family….? Anyways if i was the president i would go back to the Kaunda ways of regulating alcohol and tobacco
The government has been promoting the cultivation of tobacco and to set up a brewery is easier that to open a necessary school. So who are you expecting to consume the tobacco and the chubuku
Mobu Jusitisi…
I need some clarification on all places the law considers to be pubic. Some are obvious but other places are so obvious.
Let Zambia Police do the job of policing. Proprietors of bars etc can call the police if someone is seen breaking the law.
If the smoking ban is a by-law at local authority then councils should police it. But if no-smoking is a stutory instrument, I guess it is for Zambia Police to enforce.
I am not a lawyer, I could be wrong.
out of topic but please someone answer me. has zambia banned flights from the uk? ati they fear we can bring swine flu. it wud be totally a legit decision as an outbreak would be catastrophic. what happens to me? im supposed to land on saturday?
People you should consider the effects of passive sdmoking even as you contribute to ths issue at hand.
What about the Public Nuisance Laws, are they being enforced? If so, by who? Singapore has laws and if they want to learn something, that is the place to ask. As long as these laws are not handled by Vigilantes like William Banda, I am for it. The laws must not categorically encompass all public places. It must live room to those who want to smoke, but not some certain distance to a public buildings. What they should have gone for first is Alcohol consumption in public and public intoxication. Drunks have ravaged Zambia. Drinking has brought laziness and misery on Zambian families. Marriages have broken. Spread of disease and more. Probably banning beer must be first in my opinion.
With due respect mister … I suggest you quit pettiness and hassle with real concerns namely
wages, provide restrooms to the public ,waste management / recycling , street lighting,
water supply / reservoirs,improving the deplorable drainage system and the list is endless.
Now allow me to burn my lungs.
nxaNGX