The Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill
The original draft of the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Bill was published back in late 2003 for public comment. Input from the public, the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces is now complete and the Bill is expected to be presented to the President for signature before the end of the year.
However it will not necessarily come into force until some time next year as the Department of Health has yet to draft the Regulations that will be attached to the final amendment act. It is difficult to comment on the final date of implementation but it is not likely to occur before the second quarter of 2008.
Although the amendment deals with a number of matters, those that will concern hospitality directly will be –
Increased penalties attached to all forms of offences under the act.
The definition of a public place to include the words partially enclosed.
No smoking being permitted within a prescribed distance from all entrances and windows.
Children under the age of 18 will not be permitted to enter designated smoking areas.
