Cape Town – The South Africa Tobacco Transformation Alliance (SATTA) is calling for an evidence-based approach for the future of the cigarette and tobacco industry, that would strengthen it economically, instead of a punitive approach.
This comes as the National Department of Health recently conducted stakeholder consultations for an updated Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS), in respect of the draft Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill of 2018. If passed into law, the Bill will repeal the Tobacco Products Control Act 83 of 1993 ("TPCA") in its entirety.
Among other things, the Bill seeks to provide for control over smoking, to regulate the sale and advertising of tobacco products and electronic delivery systems, to regulate the packaging and appearance of tobacco products and electronic delivery systems, and to make provision for the standardisation of packaging.
SATTA chairman Ntando Shadrack Sibisi argued that it was “dangerous and reckless” to consider imposing the sort of restrictions proposed in the bill, at a time when the entire legal tobacco industry is “currently in the intensive care unit, with massive losses in income, revenue and jobs”.
“It is common knowledge that the industry has been devastated by the ban on cigarette sales that was unilaterally introduced by the Government during the Covid-19-related lockdowns, yet this has been completely ignored in the framing and proposed implementation of the bill,” he said.
Sibisi said the illicit tobacco sector “ran riot’’ during the lockdown and had effectively taken over the market.
“The tobacco market in 2021 is fundamentally different from the tobacco market that existed in 2018, and that needs to be taken into account in any new approaches to legislation.
’’We firmly believe that South Africa needs an evidence-based approach to the future of the cigarette and tobacco industry, rather than the path of persecution and punishment that is being followed at the moment,” he added.
Meanwhile, the South African Informal Traders Alliance (SAITA) welcomed the stakeholder consultation process.
SAITA secretary general Michael Mokgoja said: “The SEIAS consultations could not have come at a better time. Much has changed since the original SEIAS was conducted in 2018, including increased evidence indicating that products which don’t burn tobacco are less harmful than those that do.
’’It is critical that legislation is created in response to the current realities on the ground and considers scientific evidence.”
Mokgoja said the updated SEIAS process was a chance to develop better regulations.
To view the bill, visit: https://static.pmg.org.za/Tobacco_Products.pdf
Cape Times