President Cyril Ramaphosa says the announcement he made that cigarette sales would be allowed during level 4 of the nationwide lockdown, on April 23, was based on the views of the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC).
He says they had to carefully reconsider and discuss those views, and that the NCCC reconsidered its position on tobacco. As a result, the amended regulations was that which was announced by Minister of Co-operation Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on the 29th of April.
“This was a collective decision and the public statements by both myself and the Minister were done on behalf of, and mandated by, the collective I lead. Every regulation we have put in place has been carefully considered. Along the way there has been consultation with medical experts, various constituencies and different industries. We have been guided by international bodies and the experience of other countries.”
Ramaphosa's utterances come after the British and American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) over the past weekend pushed for Dlamini-Zuma to overturn the regulation and permit tobacco sales by Monday.
But minister Dlamini-Zuma continued to stand her ground on the matter, saying the ban is not necessarily to suggest that smoking threatens people’s health even more now that there is the pandemic.
“We all know that cigarettes do affect the lungs and that is why even in this country you cannot smoke in public spaces when there is no pandemic of this nature, in an interest of protecting people who do not smoke, because there is even passive smoking.”
Some have argued that the allowing of cigarette sales should also pave the way for the relaxation of the regulation that outlaws the sale of alcohol during level 4 of the lockdown.
Contributor to the Bhekisisa Centre for health Dr. Koot Kotze says it will take some time and very careful planning on how we reintroduce alcohol for public consumption .
“There are several different options on the menu to regulate alcohol, according to a recent medical research council reviewed in South Africa. The founding was that we just don’t know what policy of interventions are most effective. There are things like raising the price unit of alcohol or reducing advertising it.”
Dlamini-Zuma has until Wednesday to review and set aside the regulation on the grounds that it is unlawful and irregular.
BATSA also claims the regulation was established without authority, is unreasonable and included for ulterior purpose. The tobacco company also claims that the regulation was reintroduced without a procedural fair process followed.
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