A global call to breathe!

THE world unites against tobacco every year on 31 May for World No Tobacco Day.

Set up in 1987 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), this global event shows the dangers of smoking and pushes for better ways to cut down tobacco use.

It's more than just a date – it's a worldwide push for healthier lives without smoke. The campaign started when health bosses saw the urgent need to fight the growing tobacco problem.

First called "World No-Smoking Day", it soon grew into a bigger fight against all types of tobacco.

By picking 31 May, WHO wanted to get people to stop using tobacco for a day, hoping it might lead to giving up for good.

At its heart, World No Tobacco Day is about spreading the word.

Why I can't stop smoking!

The SunTeam spoke to cigarette and vape smokers who said they're aware of the health dangers they are facing.

However, they said cigarettes and vaping help them to stay calm, and it's difficult to quit smoking.

Nonhle Mkhabela (37) from Credi section in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni said she started smoking at the age of 18.

"As I was growing up, my friends and I used to buy cigarettes and smoke, and the next thing I was smoking six cigarettes a day.

"Nicotine creates an immediate sense of relaxation, so I smoke with the belief it reduces stress and anxiety...," she said.

Mzansi, no more puff and pass!

Mzansi faces a deepening struggle with tobacco and nicotine addiction. According to recent data, about 8,6 million citizens aged 15 and older use some form of tobacco product, underscoring tobacco’s enduring and evolving hold on the nation.

Cigarettes still dominate, but the landscape is shifting

Cigarette smoking remains the most prevalent form of tobacco use in Mzansi. The latest Global Adult Tobacco Survey, released by the Department of Health, reveals that 29,4% of Mzansi adults use tobacco.

Snuff helps me talk to my ancestors!

Traditional healer and sangoma Margaret Matshingi said snuff is part of her life, and she uses it three times a day.

She said that in their practice, izangoma and izinyanga use many different tools and objects.

"Snuff is used to communicate with the ancestors through prayer.

So, there's no way I can live without it. I know snuff is a smokeless tobacco product, and it can affect my life too," said Margaret from Ekurhuleni.

Tobacco and TB same WhatsApp group

Health experts are raising red flags over a dangerous and underreported alliance: tobacco and tuberculosis (TB).

Together, they're fuelling a public health crisis that continues to claim thousands of lives, often in silence.

While smoking is widely linked to cancer and heart disease, its deadly role in worsening TB is less known, but no less devastating.

“Tobacco smoke weakens the lungs, but in TB patients, it also weakens their chance of survival,” said Dr Busisiwe Ndlovu, director of Non-Communicable Disease Prevention at the Department of Health.

Umjolo led me to skyf!

SMOKERS vow to hang their cigarettes on World No Tobacco Day.

Some smokers around Mankweng, Limpopo vowed to hang their cigarettes on World No Tobacco Day.

World No Tobacco Day is observed globally every year on 31 May. The annual observation aims to spread awareness to the public on the dangers of using tobacco.

"On Saturday I won't be smoking. I'm going to start smoking on Sunday at 5am."

Lesetja Motimele (59) from Ga-Makanye said he's been smoking for over four decades.

He smokes cigarettes and a home-mixed joint called blarra.

Fong kong skyf a big headache!

ILLICIT trade robs government of much-needed revenue and destroys industries, exacerbating unemployment, poverty, and inequality.

An illicit pack of 20 cigarettes is sold at a lower price in most of the spaza shops, as little as R20. This means anything selling for less than R32 is illegal.

Fake and smuggled cigarettes are seized in multi-agency operations. 

The division is led by its National Rapid Response Team, which is often supported by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the South African Police Service (SAPS) and its Hawks unit, as well as the Immigration division of the Department of Home Affairs.