The lobby group Smokers United SA, which has been in the forefront against the ban of cigarettes, has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to lift the ban but said it was overdue.
Ramaphosa recently announced that liquor outlets will be allowed to sell alcohol for off-site consumption from Monday to Thursday between 9am to 5pm only. Restrictions on the sale of tobacco were also lifted.
The group organised two slow-drive protests held on July 8 and July 25 across Gauteng with the aim of encouraging government to lift the ban.
According to Linda Barnard, one of the organisers from Smokers United SA, they believe that the banning of tobacco products shouldn’t have happened in the first place.
“If the National Coronavirus Command Council is not tracking health statistics on smoker-related Covid-19 infections, how can we believe that the tobacco ban was a responsible or rational act. The tobacco ban has had an impact on farm workers, tobacco supply-chain and the retail sector,” Barnard said.
She said the group will continue to uphold the rights of every law-abiding citizen.
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