So far, tobacco ban is surviving
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA» The message was dropped into a WhatsApp group used by suburban moms in South Africa. Amid the grumblings over homeschooling during lockdown, one mom went off topic: “Does anyone know where to get illegal cigarettes? I just need a few. I’m desperate.”
She emphasized her anguish with an emoji, a face with eyes bulging and tongue hanging out.
The “desperate mama,” as she described herself, is one of 9 million smokers in South Africa affected by the government’s decision in late March to ban the sale of all tobacco products, ostensibly to help protect citizens’ health during the coronavirus pandemic. The ban remains even after South Africa eased most of its strict lockdown restrictions, including another contentious outlawing of alcohol sales.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly in Africa’s most developed economy. But that economy is suffering, and now restaurants, cinemas and even casinos are set to reopen. And allowing people to purchase alcohol again has led to an increase in drunken brawls and traffic accidents, putting added strain on hospitals as they deal with the virus. Yet it’s still illegal to buy a pack of cigarettes.
“It makes no sense,” said Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, chairman of the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association, which represents smaller manufacturers. The association challenged the ban in court and lost. Another case, with global industry giant British American Tobacco taking the government to court, has begun.
South Africa is the only country in the world to have a ban on tobacco sales in place after India and Botswana lifted theirs.
The government says it’s putting the health of its people first as the respiratory disease spreads.
The South African government has been hotly criticized for not publishing the science it said it relied on three months ago.
That showed a “Just do what we say; we know best” attitude from the government, said Joleen Steyn Kotze, an expert on democracy and governance in South Africa.
The ban, which outlaws selling tobacco but not the act of smoking, does have some backing.
“There are good reasons for people to quit, and especially at this time of COVID-19,” said Catherine Egbe, a scientist at the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Research Unit at the South African Medical Research Council.
South African smokers have two options, neither pleasant: Go cold turkey at a time of high stress. Or, like the desperate mom, go criminal. With prohibition comes bootlegging, often with links to organized crime.
Removed from all mainstream outlets, cigarettes have become the most sought after illicit drug in South Africa, more profitable than cocaine and heroin, some analysts say.
They come at a high price. Sometimes $11 for a box of 20 cigarettes that cost $1.70 pre-lockdown. There’s even a VIP service if you make phone contact with illicit sellers. For $350 you’ll get 200 cigarettes delivered to your home, one promises, so you can avoid the risk of running into police. They normally would cost about $17.
The repercussions for the economy are being felt. The tobacco industry contributes nearly $100 million a month in excise taxes paid to the South African government, never mind jobs and livelihoods.