The billboard, erected at beginning of this month, promotes
the Pacific Cigarette brand.
A blogger, Mr Michael Mbele who initiated the plan to
petition Government and council to remove the billboard said he is concerned
that the billboard could influence children to smoke.
“I am seriously concerned about Mpopoma High students
because that Pacific billboard will have devastating effects on them”, said Mr
Mbele
Mr Allan Moyo who has a son who learns at Mpopoma High
School said the billboard sends a wrong message as some pupils are already
suffering from drug abuse.
He said it will be difficult for pupils to be advised
against substance abuse when they are exposed to such a billboard.
“How are our children expected to learn when the first
thing that they see before entering the school premises is a cigarette advert?”
asked Mr Moyo.
He said he hopes that something positive will come out of
their petition.
“If the petition that parents are trying to put together
does not work matters of substance abuse will worsen,” he added.
The petition will ask the Government and the city council
to have the billboard removed.
Ms Sistance Moyo, a Mpopoma resident said she does not
understand why such an advert was put in front of a school.
“l do not understand why there is such an ad in front of a
school gate when there are lot of pubs and beer gardens around Mpopoma.
They should be advertising scholarships here and not what
they are doing,” she said.
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education spokesperson Mr
Taungana Ndoro said there is nothing wrong with the advert as long as it
carries a message that says ‘smoking is harmful to your health’ as it teaches
children that they must not smoke.
Efforts to get a comment from Pacific Cigarette Company
were unsuccessful. Chronicle
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