WATCH: Smokers United SA stages peaceful protest through Boksburg against tobacco ban
Other motorists also hooted to show their support while bystanders cheered the protesters on
About 200 smokers from around Gauteng held a peaceful protest convoy around Boksburg against the government’s ban on cigarettes on July 8.
Smokers United SA organised the protest with the aim of encouraging government to lift the ban on cigarette sales during the lockdown.
From as early as 8.30am the group gathered at the Boksburg Stadium before embarking on a slow drive convoy along Commissioner Street, Rietfontein Road to Wild Waters blowing their hooters. Other motorists also hooted to show their support while bystanders cheered the protesters on.
Protesters wore orange masks signifying that they have been criminalised for their choice to smoke.
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According to Linda Barnard, one of the organisers from Smokers United SA, they decided to take action by showing the government that their voices matter because they have been silenced for too long.
“Our insistence on the dropping of the ban is not solely based on us wanting to smoke but also those thousands of people, formal cigarette traders who have lost their jobs. We are also voicing for those people who are now paying a lot of money for cheap cigarettes,” Barnard said.
Another organiser, Trevor Terblanche, said he started Smokers United SA a week after the ban, to get all smokers together so that they can raise their grievances.
“I find the reason behind the banning of tobacco sales irrational and unconstitutional. We have submitted a memorandum with about 650 000 signatures to the government and Mike Waters from the DA. We have let the law enforcement know about the protest but unfortunately they couldn’t accompany us because they said it’s against the lockdown regulations,” Terblanche said.
The memorandum read: “In respect of the lockdown you have violated most if not all constitutional rights found in the Bill of rights. You have taken away our freedom of choice, our freedom to protest and our freedom to voice ourselves. You discriminate against smokers, saying that they are at higher risk than anyone else. You violate section nine of our constitution and we are no longer all equal before the law. We are in favour of the government to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus.”
One of the protesters, Lizelle le Roux, from Boksburg, said the prohibition of cigarettes was completely unnecessary as they have been suffering and patient for a very long time.
“I feel that my rights have been taken away so we want the government to lift the ban so that I can buy legal cigarettes and stop looking for used stompie cigarettes,” said le Roux.
The national Covid-19 Command Council banned the sale of tobacco products when the national lockdown was instituted in March.
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