Zweli Mkhize to host meeting on tobacco control in SA

National Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize will on Sunday host a virtual meeting on tobacco control in South Africa.

The day is marked across the planet as World No Tobacco Day, with the purpose of informing the public on the health hazards posed by smoking.

Tobacco control in South Africa 

The meeting, chaired by Mkhize, will feature his deputy Dr Joe Paahla, chief research specialist at the Human Science and Research Council, Dr Sibusiso Sifunda among others.

Health Minister @DrZweliMkhize will host a virtual meeting on Tobacco Control in South Africa #WorldNoTobaccoDay2020 pic.twitter.com/yx4PR5nsrI

— GCIS Media Liaison (@GCISMedia) May 30, 2020

Tobacco companies vs SA government

It comes just as the South African government is facing legal action over the continued prohibition of tobacco sales.
The sale of tobacco products has been outlawed in the country since it entered lockdown in later March.

With social-distancing regulations set to be eased significantly from Monday under Alert Level 3 restrictions, the ban will continue and could stay in place until Level 1 is implemented.

However, the The Fair-trade Independent Tobacco Association has taken the State to court over the extended ban.

It is joined by cigarette giant, British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA), who say they have tried to engage the government on the matter.

“BATSA has made every effort to constructively engage with the government since the ban came into force, including making detailed submissions, along with other interested parties, to various Ministers, as well as directly to the Presidency,” it said in a statement.

“To date, no formal response has been received from the government, and BATSA has also not been included in any of the government’s consultation processes so far.”

British American Tobacco South Africa

The reasoning given by government behind the extended ban on tobacco sales during the COVID-19 lockdown is that it aims to safeguard public health, as smokers are prone to suffer more severe symptoms of the novel virus than non-smokers.

“This, in turn, increases strain on the public health system, by increasing the number of people who will need access to resources such as intensive care unit beds and ventilators,” Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said.

Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma