BAN GIVES TOBACCO ILLEGAL DRUG STATUS IN 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." 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.
"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. South Africa is the only country in the world to have a ban on tobacco sales in place af ter India and Botswana lif ted theirs.
The government says it's putting the health of its people first as the respiratory disease spreads. But while the WHO recommends that people stop smoking during the pandemic, it says there is no scientific evidence to show smokers are more susceptible to COVID-19. The government has been hotly criticised for not publishing the science it said it relied on. 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. She warned the lack of transparency might foster a general distrust when the government needs citizens more than ever to cooperate.
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, of ten with links to organized crime. Removed from all mainstream outlets, cigarettes have become the most sought af ter illicit drug in South Africa, more profitable than cocaine and heroin, some analysts say.
Cigarettes hidden in grocery bags are pushed across the counter at corner shops. Young men flash packs on sidewalks. A nod in their direction and even one cigarette to temporarily fend off withdrawal symptoms is available.
It comes at a high price. Sometimes USD 11 for a box of 20 cigarettes that cost USD 1.70 pre-lockdown. Some brands are smuggled into the country, others are hardly-known, bottom shelf local labels, but they'll do. There's even a VIP service if you make phone contact with illicit sellers. For USD 350 you'll get 200 cigarettes delivered to your home, one promises, so you can avoid the risk of running into police. They normally cost about USD 20.
Supporters of the ban say there has been some success in getting people to quit smoking, or at least cut down. But a survey of more than 12,000 smokers by the University of Cape Town found that 90% of them bought cigarettes illegally during lockdown. Mnguni said it was "nonsense" to think smokers would suddenly give up. He fears that smokers now familiar with bootleg sources may stick with them when the ban is lif ted and illicit cigarettes are cheaper again.
The repercussions for the economy are already felt. The tobacco industry contributes nearly USD 100 million a month in excise taxes paid to the South African government, never mind jobs and livelihoods.
The fate of a legendary tobacco shop, a fixture on Cape Town's historic central square since 1793 and which had survived two centuries of challenges, has reinforced the new reality. Unable to trade for months, it packed up and moved out. Economist Mike Schussler knew it was always going to be hard for South Africa's economy, which was in recession before the pandemic. "But we could have made it a little easier by not banning things like cigarettes and liquor," he said.