Tobacco

The association taking the government to court over the tobacco ban has accused it of inflating the number of people who supported the ban and using literature that does not show the link between cigarette smoking and the Covid-19 coronavirus.The supplementary affidavit submitted by the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) was in response to…

If figures from a UCT study are correct, Adriano Mazzotti's Carnilinx has quintupled its share of the South African cigarette market.BAT and FITA – of which Mazzotti and Carnilinx are members – are heading to court to challenge Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's cigarette ban. He has used this challenge as proof he is not in cahoots…

Tobacco giant asks Dlamini-Zuma to amend regulationsThe association launched the legal action after Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's announcement the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) had decided not to lift the cigarette ban after Ramaphosa earlier stated it would end on 30 April.Commenting on the court challenge, Ramaphosa said: "We live in a free country. The…

All the latest coronavirus and lockdown updatesHowever, if the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) usurped Cabinet's powers, the state's disaster regulations can be legally challenged. The council was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March to direct the country's response to the Covid-19 outbreak.Political analysts also believe the implementation and reversal of certain regulations, such the…

All the latest coronavirus and lockdown updatesDlamini-Zuma has faced widespread criticism from citizens, politicians and interest groups after she announced that cigarettes and tobacco products would not be sold from 1 May, when the country moved to Level 4 on the Covid-19 lockdown risk scale.The country has been under lockdown since 26 March in a…