World News | South African Firms Urge President Ramaphosa to Lift Ban on Sale of Tobacco Products

Johannesburg, Jul 5 (PTI) A number of leading South African companies on Sunday urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to lift the ban on the sale of tobacco products in the country.

South Africa is the only country in the world to ban sale of all tobacco products. The government had imposed the ban in late March to protect citizens' health during the coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised people to give up smoking during the pandemic and said that smoking is linked to a higher risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 in hospitalised patients.

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In an open letter -- which was published in the Sunday Times -- several companies, including British American Tobacco, SAAI, Fresh Stop, South African Tobacco and retailer Spar, argued that the ban has severely damaged the South African economy, pointing out that it has so far cost the country more than 3.5 billion rand in excise duties.

The letter listed how this money could have been used effectively for the benefit of the country's citizens, including purchasing 5,000 ventilators; setting up 54 new schools; paying the salaries of 25,000 nurses, 5,000 doctors and 20,000 primary school teachers; constructing 8,045 new affordable homes; and proving 23 million food parcels to poor.

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Tobacco companies have recently lost two battles against the government in the high court.

The government has argued that the increased pressure due to the diseases related to the use of tobacco during the coronavirus pandemic would put a toll on the already strained healthcare system.

South Africa has so far recorded 188,883 coronavirus cases and 3,026 deaths due to the disease.

According to the letter, smokers, who were resorting to purchasing illegal cigarettes, have effectively been turned into criminals.

"Whole communities have been torn apart as the ban has extinguished livelihoods that sustain thousands of families across the nation...With the stroke of a pen, 11 million previously law-abiding smokers and vapers have been turned into criminals," it said.

"It has been 100 days, but South Africa – the only major nation in the world with a tobacco and vaping ban – cannot afford for this to last a single day longer,” the letter said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)