A new University of Cape Town (UCT) study reveals that approximately 60% of cigarettes sold in South Africa are illicit, driven by weak regulatory enforcement and consumer habits formed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read moreTag Archive for: South Africa
South Africa’s Department of Health is advancing revisions to the long-debated Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill following late 2025 public consultations. The legislation aims to close regulatory gaps by introducing mandatory plain packaging, expanding enforcement powers to tackle the illicit trade, and strictly regulating e-cigarettes. Despite industry pushback, the government firmly rejects vaping as a harm-reduction tool, prioritizing total nicotine cessation to ease the burden on the national healthcare system.
Read morestandardized or “plain” packaging is a central component of the proposed Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill currently under debate in South Africa. While aimed at reducing tobacco appeal, especially among youth, the measure faces significant opposition due to concerns about intellectual property rights and the potential to exacerbate the country’s already booming illicit tobacco trade.
Key Takeaways:
- New Bill:Â The legislation targets both traditional tobacco and e-cigarettes (vapes).
- Plain Packaging:Â Proposed removal of branding to reduce product appeal.
- Illicit Trade Risk:Â SARS warns standardized packs could make spotting illegal goods harder.
- Global Trend:Â Over 40 countries have moved towards plain packaging since 2012.
South Africa, once a global darling of public health for its decisive anti-tobacco actions in the 1990s, now finds itself in a state of stagnation. While early bans on advertising successfully cut smoking rates from 32% to 24% within a decade, adult smoking prevalence has since plateaued at around 20%.
Read moreThe Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has presented its submission to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health, throwing its full support behind the long-overdue Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill. The trade union federation hails the bill as a critical tool to reduce the devastating toll of smoking-related diseases and deaths in South Africa, while also arguing that it is essential to safeguard the legal tobacco industry and its value chain from the “explosion” of the illicit tobacco trade.
Read moreMultinational cigarette manufacturer British American Tobacco (BAT) has strongly criticized South Africa’s proposed Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, arguing it is “critically flawed” and will only harm the compliant market while failing to address the country’s rampant illicit trade.
Read moreA leading Italian physician and tobacco harm reduction expert, Professor Riccardo Polosa, has called on the South African parliament to adopt science-based policies as it considers the new Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill. Speaking to the parliamentary portfolio committee on health, Polosa, who leads the Centre of Excellence for Harm Reduction at the University of Catania, urged policymakers to seriously consider evidence-based harm reduction strategies, emphasizing the role of e-cigarettes in helping smokers quit.
Read moreLiquor traders in South Africa are raising concerns about the significant business impact of the new Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill currently being processed by the Department of Health. The bill proposes a complete ban on all indoor smoking and vaping, and also restricts use in certain outdoor areas, a move that traders say will be costly and difficult to implement.
Read moreAs South Africa grapples with a significant increase in combustible tobacco smoking rates, the vaping industry is calling for a shift towards “smarter, evidence-based” nicotine policies. This plea comes as Parliament holds public consultations on the stringent Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, which seeks to impose stricter regulations on product processing, advertising, and packaging for both traditional tobacco and electronic delivery systems, including nicotine and non-nicotine vapes.
Read moreCansa & youth forum demand stricter vape laws in South Africa, citing rising teen addiction & industry marketing tactics ahead of World No Tobacco Day.
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