The recent announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that lockdown measures will be eased from 1 May when the country moves from the current hard lockdown to a so-called Level 4 lockdown, also brought about relief for smokers and the tobacco sector.
Under Level 4 restrictions, the sell of cigarettes will again be allowed.
The recent lifting of the ban of cigarette sales has been a relief for smokers. Withdrawal effects, such as anxiety, will hopefully be subdued as the ban is lifted. (PHOTO: Unsplash/ Mac McQuarrie)
Smokers such as Gauteng resident, Bev McClean, have also shared their approval of the lifting of the ban, which affects approximately 18,2% of the South African smoking population.
“I’m glad the president has decided to lift the ban but I think it was mostly for economic reasons. To save jobs, bring in more money and decrease the psychological impact on South Africans during the next few phases of the lockdown,” she said.
McClean, who began an online petition which gathered close to 140 000 signatures to get President Ramaphosa to lift the ban on the sale of cigarettes in place under Level 5 lockdown measures, said that the initial ban of cigarettes had the potential to cause serious withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety and irritation.
“Nicotine [withdrawal] has serious effects on a lot of people and is especially elevated because of the stress and fear of what is happening to our country,” said McClean.
A petition has been successful in getting President Cyril Ramaphosa to unban the sale of cigarettes. (PHOTO: Unsplash/ fotografierende)
Impact on smokers and small businesses
Common withdrawal symptoms include anxiety, depression, change in mood and irritability and in some cases, can lead to violent behaviour, according to the Cancer Association of South Africa.
For smokers such as Mpendulo Xulu of Soweto, the lifting of the ban on the sale of cigarettes under Level 4 lockdown regulations, makes a huge difference. He said this decreases the chances of smokers looking for cigarettes through illegal channels.
“It’s good that the ban was removed,” he said, citing the dangerous withdrawal symptoms associated when one suddenly quits smoking. In addition, he said, smokers can also support the tobacco industry.
“Personally, it has been a challenge for me,” he said, referring to the ban on cigarettes during the initial period of lockdown. “I struggled with withdrawals on another level. I couldn’t eat, nor could I sleep,” said Xulu.
Spaza shop owner, Thulani Khoza, said the ban on the sale of cigarettes had resulted in a slight decline in customers at his shop. People who usually came to his shop to buy cigarettes, stopped coming in.
“That made a difference in my profit as cigarette sales were a big part of it,” said Khoza.
He hopes that as President Cyril Ramaphosa lifts the ban, the tobacco sector is able to recover from the financial loss it has suffered during the lockdown.
“The tobacco sector, I’m sure, has taken a hit as a result of the ban. I know that they lose a lot of money because of taxes and illegal trading. It’s also going to help people who work in the sector to earn money again,” said Khoza.
It has been reported that the South African tobacco industry loses almost R8 billion annually from illegal cigarette trading. PHOTO: Besil MK/ Pexels (PHOTO: Besil MK/ Pexels)
In a statement, the Fair-Trade Independent Association said that they were pleased by the unbanning of the cigarette trade, as it will ease the effects suffered by the tobacco industry during the lockdown.
“We welcome the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that amongst other things the sale of cigarettes will be permitted during the next phase of the lockdown period in government’s attempts at containing the spread of the coronavirus,” said the organisation in a statement.
“We are of the view that this, together with the tax relief extended to cigarette manufacturers, and other industries announced by Minister Tito Mboweni yesterday, are steps in the right direction [by the government] in mitigating the damaging effects of the lockdown period,” stated the organisation.