The millions of South Africans who smoke received a wave of relief from President Cyril Ramaphosa, after he said the ban on the sales of cigarettes during the national state of disaster will be lifted. But the ban will only be lifted at the beginning of next month.
Beer halls and the sale of alcohol will still be prohibited.
“The sale of cigarettes will be permitted. The range of goods that may be sold will be extended to incorporate certain additional categories. These will be detailed by the relevant Ministers,” Ramaphosa said.
“It is important to note that several restrictions will remain in place regardless of the level of alert for as long as the risk of transmission is present: Bars and shebeens will remain closed.”
Government’s lifting of the ban on the sale of cigarettes comes hot on the heels of a threat by the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association, which on Saturday, said it was ready to take the government to court to compel it to lift the ban on the sale of cigarettes during the lockdown.
According to statistics, more than 10 million South Africans are smokers.
The alcohol industry has also been pushing hard to have the government allow the sales of alcohol through online platforms and for beer halls to be takeaway outlets.
