( 5 minutes read)
· British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) says it would
re-start urgent legal proceedings to challenge the government’sdecision to extend the ban on tobacco sales during Level 3 of thenationwide lockdown announced recently..
· The South African authorities maintain that the ban isinevitable since the empirical evidence suggests cigarette smokersare more prone to develop severe Covid-19 symptoms than non-smokers.
· BATSA, the country’s largest cigarette manufacturer, howeverrefutes the assertion of the government.
· According to the cigarette manufacturer its position is supported by Japan Tobacco International as well as “groups and organizations in the tobacco value chain across the country, including consumers, tobacco farmers and retailers.
British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) says it would re-start urgent legal proceedings to challenge the government’s decision to extend the ban on tobacco sales during Level 3 of the nationwide lockdown announced recently..
The South African authorities maintain that the ban is inevitable since the empirical evidence suggests cigarette smokers are more prone to develop severe Covid-19 symptoms than non-smokers. BATSA, the country’s largest cigarette manufacturer, however refutes the assertion of the government. According to the cigarette manufacturer its position is supported by Japan Tobacco International as well as “groups and organizations in the tobacco value chain across the country, including consumers, tobacco farmers and retailers.
The company also said in the statement that it has made every effort to constructively engage with the government since the ban came into force, including making detailed submissions, along with other interested parties, to various Ministers, as well as directly to the Presidency. However, no formal response has been received from the government. It also complains that BATSA has also not been included
in any of the government’s consultation processes so far. It also said the ban was threatening the survival of the country’s legal
tobacco sector, which employs thousands of workers directly or indirectly.
Another organization- the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association- has already taken the government to court challenging the ban in a separate case. The arguments have not yet been heard in that case. However, the state earlier in the week filed an affidavit setting out its rationale for keeping the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products prohibited during the coronavirus pandemic. The organization’s case would come up for hearing in the Pretoria High Court on 9 and 10 June.
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, said the ban was to reduce the potential strain on South Africa’s health system. While Covid-19 is a relatively new disease, early studies support the view that using tobacco roducts increases not only the risk of catching the disease but also the risk of contracting a more serious form of the diseases.
