If you’ve been reading the Acumen Media reports you will know that I have been banging on about the #GreatDivide and how the country requires a large dose of perspective.  These stories have been around #WooliesChicken vs starvation and #Jogging vs densely populated regions trying to adhere to #lockdown.  You’ll also know that I have been singing the government’s praises for the most incredible leadership and call to action our nation has seen in years.  I’ve been so immensely proud of my country, its leadership and its citizens, we have done better than most first world countries and that’s #BackedByScience!  Enter #NDZ!   Nkhosozana, you walked into the room and trampled all over my patriotism, turned me into a hypocrite and possibly a criminal. #CigarettesMustFall

For those who don’t know (and you should) I’m what’s termed a “heavy smoker” (one to two packs a day), disgusting right? I completely agree, nastiest habit ever.  Except it’s not a habit it’s an addiction.  One I have come to terms with about 20 years ago when I tried to quit, I learnt much about myself as a smoker during that time and here are the facts, smoking is lethal and I will probably die from it, I have come to terms with that and I have taken my decision.  Why do I smoke?  Let’s look at why it’s better for me to smoke, I am a completely nightmare without my ciggies.  I am grumpy, I eat far too much (and I don’t need that at all!), I cry, I  get depressed (I suffer from chronic depression too), I shout (and I mean shout!), to such a point that my ex boss @SteveTindley bought me a pack of fags and said, “Ton please smoke these or I can’t work with you”.  He was right, a cigarette calms me down and without it I suffer immense withdrawal that doesn’t allow me to function and impacts greatly on my mental health.  If I’m not okay, my family and colleagues won’t be okay either.  That’s a fact.  Take away my fags and you officially have an unhinged monster where once you had a experienced business woman that will tell most people she loves them and she means it.

I will smoke, if I have to put tea into rolling papers, I will smoke.  That means I will buy illegal cigarettes if they are made available to me.  Now I’m not only a hypocrite overnight but I’m a criminal too.   Well done #NDZ, can you send #Mazzotti our regards?  Yes Nkhosozana, we didn’t forget your NDZ campaign during #CR17 was largely funded by illegal cigarettes.  Can you bring the President into the room please, we have some questions.  How do you change the President’s message 24hrs before #Level4?  If I was #PicknPay I would have stocked up a load by now, what is the impact on my business, in fact, forget #PicknPay let’s talk about the #spazaShops that just got licenses to trade again?  Do you want to tell me that the stock they bought for tomorrow will stay off the shelves?  Another set of “criminals”. Haibo!

Please do not compare cigarettes to alcohol, they only share #SinTax in common, no smoker hit a woman because he was smoking a cigarette, no smoker made a  huge party on a Saturday during #Covid19Lockdown as long as they brought their own cigarettes, no smoker ever hurt a damn thing apart from themselves because they were smoking a cigarette, take those cigarettes away and you may see a different set of people.  (I can just hear you, #SecondHandSmoke – bite me – lights another fag with no one around her) Last night, in my vacuum puffing away at a cigarette I saw the country shift from patriotic an outpouring of vitriol about #Level4Restrictions. A petition to counter those 2000 anti-smokers climbed to over 350k in less than 24hrs, it is like watching @BarryBateman’s timeline during #OscarTrial.  Go check the counter out, it is insane (while you’re there, sign the petition)

It’s not all about the cigarettes, the other #Level4Restrictions also caused fear and confusion.  Who came up with the bright idea of all of the city folk jogging/cycling or walking at the same time?  Have you seen the #leafysuburbs guys, you will have hundreds of people out on the streets at the same time?!  You have to sit back and say, ok but what would be the alternative? I spoke to a friend she said that all surnames starting with a T can jog between 9 and 10am – we  laughed, but perhaps she’s onto something.  Please SA if you are going to go out en-masse early doors tomorrow in an effort to keep healthy, then please wear the correct gear.

And then the schools, enter #Fear, deep, deep fear, our children are going into the firing line but again, what alternative do we have?  It’s fine for private schools to keep up e-learning but in government schools this is just not feasible and our children need to learn.  #Level4 was a good thing when it was announced, now, mmhh not so much. Personally I’m not going to panic until I hear from #MyPresident first, #NDZMustFall until then.  *Sits back, lights fag