South Africa is three months into a ban on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products, an unusual tactic employed by a government to protect the health of its citizens during the coronavirus pandemic.
FILE — In this June 2, 2020 file photo, a demonstrator holds a placard during a protest against the tobacco ban outside parliament in Cape Town, South Africa. The country is one of just a few around the world to have banned tobacco sales during the pandemic and the only one to still have it in place.
South Africa is the only country in the world to have a ban on tobacco sales in place after India and Botswana lifted theirs. Cigarettes hidden in grocery bags are pushed across the counter at corner shops. Young men flash packs on sidewalks. A nod in their direction and even one cigarette to temporarily fend off withdrawal symptoms is available.
Mnguni said it was “nonsense” to think smokers would suddenly give up. He fears that smokers now familiar with bootleg sources may stick with them when the ban is lifted and illicit cigarettes are cheaper again.
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