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www.thevillagenews.co.za
13 May 2020
Smokers left ashen-faced over black-market prices Writer De Waal Steyn
known to mankind,” he says.
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Many smokers have commented on the low quality of the cough-inducing illicit cigarettes that have flooded the market.
“I have a wife and two children. And while I consciously took the decision to become a ‘criminal’ by buying illicit cigarettes, I can never justify paying R160 for 20 cigarettes. If I do that, I will not be able to buy food for the rest of the month.
A Vermont resident says she was hard-hit by the ban on cigarettes. “I did not have the money to stock up before the lockdown started. But during the first few weeks, when there was still uncertainty as to whether it was legal or not, most shops still sold cigarettes. I thought this was great as I could buy daily and regulate my cashflow as per normal.
“I understand that the government wants to protect us from the Coronavirus but taking away our basic rights like this leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth (no pun intended). Now, after three days of not smoking I feel irritated and disgusted in our government. I no longer want to support the lockdown. I want my life and my business back, even if I have to face the virus head-on.”
“I am a single mother and have two children. I do not work, but I am fortunate enough to still receive a UIF-payment, so we do have money for necessities, but no luxuries. After the shops stopped selling cigarettes, I decided this is it, I am quitting. After the first day of not smoking I started contemplating just buying one packet via a neighbour who had access to illicit cigarettes. But my conscience would not let me, and I decided to hold out.
Over the weekend it was reported that a pack of 20 cigarettes is now selling for R220.
ne WhatsApp message and a few minutes later you find yourself part of an underground network to rival those of any Chinese triad or even the Italian mafia. The only difference is this network consists of people you know – upstanding and law-abiding ooms and tannies who live just around the corner and under normal circumstances fill the church pews on a Sunday morning. But ever since government’s sudden about-turn on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products, more and more ordinary people are finding themselves on the wrong side of the law and running the risk of a criminal record, simply for satisfying their craving for nicotine. Apparently it is pretty easy to gain access to a network of people who know people who know someone who is selling illicit cigarettes, or who can give you the name of someone who is. At one stage a smuggler in Hermanus even had a WhatsApp group where you could order, and within a matter of hours he delivered to your doorstep.
“I was well prepared for the initial 21-day lockdown,” relates a middle-aged smoker from Sandbaai. “I stocked up on a number of cigarette cartons beforehand and thought that would be that. When President Ramaphosa announced the extension of the lockdown, I immediately looked at my stash and realised I needed to smoke a little bit less if I were to make it through another 14 days, which I did. Then, when the president said cigarette sales would be allowed under Level 4, I happily went back to my old smoking routine, because I knew that I would be able to buy again in a few days’ time.” But, with the sudden about-face on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco-related products announced by Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, smokers needed to turn to the black-market to ease their cravings. A friend of a friend recounts: “All of a sudden, smokers started panicking and where you paid anything between R25 and R35 for a packet by the end of April, the price suddenly shot up to R45. And where you could still buy your normal brand of cigarettes during April, from the beginning of May the market was flooded with unknown brands like Peterman, F1, Rich Man and Caesar. Names I have never heard of and most probably the worst-tasting cigarettes
“By the end of the second day, my teenage son asked if he could talk to me. It was strange that he has such a serious look on his face, but I soon realised why. He handed me two packets of cigarettes that he’d procured via a school mate. He wanted me to start smoking again as, according to him, I had become a tyrant. I knew I was not myself, but had not realised how badly it was affecting my children. I now buy one pack a week and only smoke three cigarettes a day,” she says. Her story is basically the same as that of a man in Northcliff who also decided to quit, but was not able to do so. Eventually he, too, turned to the black market and bought from various sources. “The one day I bought six packs and not one of them was the same brand. The one pack featured black filters with embossed golden stars on them. At first I was freaked out and felt like I was smoking a prop from a Bollywood movie set, but I soon became used to it. “Now, after having had access to more than enough cigarettes over the last few weeks, the supply seems to have suddenly dried up. I desperately called all my contacts and visited all the shops I used to buy from, but nothing – not a smoke in sight. Eventually one contact called back and said I could buy from him, but the price now was R95 a packet! I bluntly refused, but as the cravings got worse and worse, I eventually decided to buy one packet. However, when I phoned the next day, I was unceremoniously told the price has now shot up to R160 a packet and that they are only sold as cartons at R1 600.
But, according to the government, there is "nothing sinister" behind the state's decision to renew the ban on the sale of tobacco products under Level 4 of the lockdown. Last week, Minister Dlamini-Zuma deposited an affidavit ahead of a looming court case between the state and the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA). The association, whose members include cigarette makers Carnilinx and Gold Leaf Tobacco, wants to challenge the state's decision to retain the ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products. The minister said the decision to promulgate the regulation was taken after careful consideration, not only of the submissions received, but also the relevant medical literature. It was also a decision that was endorsed by the National Coronavirus Command Council and Cabinet before the regulations were promulgated. FITA chairperson Sinenhlanhla Mnguni said there is no basis to contend that the prohibition of cigarettes and tobacco products is related to combating the Coronavirus. In his affidavit to the court Mnguni stressed that the public comments on the "ills of smoking" have not been "adequately linked" to the fight against COVID-19. "If health was truly a factor, why was there not a prohibition on such non-essential and unhealthy goods such as junk food, chocolates, fizzy drinks and sweets. Many illnesses or conditions are associated with consumption of these items, yet dealing with them has not been prohibited," he said. It is uncertain when the court case will proceed. * The names of those quoted in the article have been withheld to protect the not-so-innocent
Some of the cigarette brands being sold on the black market.
