tame TIMES - Boksburg
25 August 2020 - www.tametimes.co.za
Bad news for smokers Prices of certain cigarette brands set to increase
Business Insider South Africa compared the prices of popular cigarette brands before and after the lockdown. They used historical price data from the Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP) at the University of Cape Town, led by Professor Corné van Walbeek. The research unit has published a number of studies on the price increases of illegal cigarettes during the lockdown. Business Insider compared those historical average prices to our own survey of post-lockdown prices in Cape
Town this week. That shows how the prices of premium brands, such as Camel have skyrocketed by as much as 35%, while the prices of mid-market brands such as Winston and Rothmans have stayed about the same, even getting slightly cheaper. Marlboro is 30% more expensive, while Peter Stuyvesant is 19% more expensive. In a letter to retailers, British American Tobacco South Africa (Batsa), the largest cigarette manufacturer in South Africa, said it will be raising the prices of its brands, including Peter Stuyvesant, Pall Mall and Dunhill,
The table below shows the pre-lockdown price compared to the current price, followed by the percentage difference.
by between 4% and 10% to try and claw back some of the revenue lost after nearly five months of tobacco prohibition. According to Business Insider prices will go up on Monday, 24 August. This official price increase is in addition to the unofficial price increase presumably driven by retailers also trying to get back on their feet financially. “This will have a negligible impact on the losses suffered during the prohibition on legal sales but it will, we believe, allow us to continue supporting or partners in the legitimate value chain,” said Batsa in the letter, dated 17 August. Tobacco groups have also indicated that smokers do not seem to trust that the ban will stay lifted, with smokers buying months of supplies at a time. Bongani Mshibe, director of corporate affairs and communication at JTI Southern Africa, which manufactures Camel, told Netwerk24 that some retailers sold twice as much on the first day the ban ended as they usually sell in a month.
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Video clip showing man assaulting young woman to be investigated Police in Mpumalanga will investigate the incident which was captured on video which went viral where a man is seen assaulting a young woman. The incident which can be described as inhuman, is alleged to have taken place at Kamhlushwa in the Nkomazi area, earlier this year in February/ March but only surfaced, 22 August 2020. After careful scrutiny of the video, police are of the view that the man who is seen violently attacking the woman, has a case to answer to hence the investigation in a form of an enquiry into the matter. The Provincial Commissioner has appointed a senior police officer to probe this issue. In the meantime, police in Mpumalanga continue with their campaign encouraging women to report their abusive husbands or boyfriends as at times, the ending is unpleasant. The office of the Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma, earlier today issued a statement reiterating a stance which must be taken by women should they experience any form of abuse. They must institute a protection order against them and if physically abused, they must not hesitate to open a criminal case so that the processes can run concurrently. In another statement they claimed that “malicious lies” were being told to sew distrust between the public and the police. Read the best in local and national news, opinions pieces, recipes and more at www.tametimes.co.za
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25 August 2020
Man Arrested For 2 Cartons Of Cigarettes During Lockdown – Case Acquitted A 42-year-old Krugersdorp man who spent hours behind bars after being arrested for being in possession of sealed cigarettes during the lockdown has been acquitted in a test case brought by AfriForum, TimesLive reported. Andries Hennop was cleared on Friday after his arrest on May 22. He was stopped during a roadblock in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, where traffic officers found two cartons of cigarettes in his possession. “Police officers who arrested me said I was being arrested because the cigarettes had been closed and this was not allowed,” he said. The dental technician had maintained his innocence since his arrest, as he argued the cigarettes had been purchased before the ban. According to TimesLive, he described his three-month court battle as a victory and “an affirmation of the wrongful arrest”. “It’s just an affirmation of what I’ve
always know, that my arrest was unlawful … I am glad it’s all over now”. He ecalled how his arrest and subsequent court appearances affected his business and family. “It was bad. My wife had to run around to try find bail money, my kids didn’t take it well as they are very sensitive and we’ve always had an open-book policy … you can imagine with the business as well, it was lockdown, things were not going well already and something like this came through as well,” he said. Hennop is now considering civil action. “I think that even though I’ve always said the police officers do good work, but they have to know the law. It does not help to have someone in uniform, wearing a badge and not knowing what the laws are. At the end of the day, that’s the one thing I hope comes out of this. At least there will one or two officers
who know better about the law before they act on anything.” Marnus Kamfer, AfriForum’s legal and risk manager, described Hennop’s acquittal as a victory for the country. “This is a major victory for the citizens of SA over the unfair behaviour of members of the law enforcement authorities, who hide behind alleged violations of the lockdown regulations,” said Kamfer. “The SAPS warned its members during the lockdown to use great care when they execute arrests during the lockdown. Members were also warned that they would be held personally responsible for any costs that the SAPS will have to incur as a result of claims that are instituted successfully against the SAPS by aggrieved citizens. We would like to see that the respective members pay the price, instead of the taxpayer having the worst of it because of members’ unlawful behaviour,” Kamfer added.
Nehawu Threathens Strike Over Covid-19 Safety. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) says that it will move ahead with plans to strike against the government’s refusal to increase public servants’ salaries and a failure to offer adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) against the coronavirus, Business Tech reported. Its general-secretary Zola Saphetha told News24 that a strike at the National Health Laboratories Service will be used as a ‘launchpad’ for the implementation of its national programme of action. “Workers are extremely angry at the poor pace of transformation and government’s inability to improve the lives of public servants, including freezing their wage increase by reneging on the implementation of Resolution 1 of 2018, while watching the elite benefiting from the proceeds of corruption through PPE tenders and supply of other Covid-19 essentials,” he said. On Monday (24 August), workers will head to their employers’ offices to apply for a leave day on Tuesday. He added that lunch-hour pickets are planned between Monday and Thursday next week. Saphetha said that Nehawu will embark on a national day of action on 3 September across all of the provinces where memorandums will be handed over to senior government officials. He warned that if the government does not meet Nehawu’s demands by 10 September, the union will completely withdraw its labour.
25 August 2020
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25 August 2020
SA rugby fans get bargain of the century for Lions Tour in 2021 South African rugby supporters have got the bargain of the century in ticket prices for the British & Irish Lions eightmatch tour to South Africa in 2021, when compared to other global major sporting events, IOL reported. And it is the hope of South African Rugby Union chief executive Jurie Roux that an ‘army of green’ combats the Lions travelling supporters’ ‘sea of red’. World Cup-winning Springbok Pieter-Stef
du Toit described the visit of the Lions next year as being bigger than the World Cup because it is rare that a player gets a second career chance to front the tourists. Springboks World Cup-winning coach and National Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus said playing the Lions was one of the greatest rugby experiences and pointed to the magnitude of the three-Test series, given that players from three of the four 2019 World Cup semi-finalists would take centre
Allegations, Insinuations Have Been Extremely Hurtful – Graeme Smith “I
understand
that
the
current
finally being aired out in regard to South African cricket and I am happy to engage in discussions. Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith says he was hurt by allegations of bias against black players. Smith, currently Cricket South Africa’s director of cricket, has been the central figure in many of the former players’ grievances, with the former Proteas being
particularly
harshly
criticised for his management of black players by former wicket-keeper Thami Tsolekile in a string of recent radio
level.
interviews, IOL Sport reported.
“I
Smith released a statement on Thursday
environment is one where a lot of hurts
afternoon in response.
are finally being aired out in regard to
“I am a proud South African and I am
South African cricket and I am happy to
proud to have captained my team for as
engage in discussions in the right forum
long as I did.
even if its uncomfortable, because I think
The allegations and insinuations that
we can only learn from our past and help
have been made are extremely hurtful
shape a better future.”
and I deny them in the strongest possible
Cricket SA, meanwhile, have begun to put
sense,” Smith said.
processes in place address the concerns
“Thami Tsolekile was my captain at South
with
African schools junior level. I’ve never
of the Board developing a sustainable
had an issue with him as a person and he
response strategy, under its Project:
has never borne out of the frustrations
Cricket for Social Justice and Nation
of his international career on a personal
Building (SJN).
understand
the
that
the
Transformation
current
Committee
equation. The challenge for organisers was how to make the Lions accessible to all of South Africa outside of the Test matches and affordable in the context of the four-tier Test ticket price. The Lions are unique in that they tour South Africa only once every 12 years. Many Springboks have won World Cup medals and played in several World Cups but never got to play the Lions. For those regional and provincial players outside the Springboks squad, playing the Lions is a once in a career opportunity. Tickets for the midweek matches in Port Elizabeth and in in Nelspruit start at R100 and are exclusive to South African residents. Entry level tickets to watch the DHL Stormers, CellC Sharks and Vodacom Bulls play start at R250, which are again exclusive to South African residents. Tickets are only available by entering the ballot on:http://www.lionstour2021. co.za
AmaZulu believe they will survive the dreaded drop
Amazulu have been relegated four times during the Premier Soccer League era but they remain confident they will avoid the chop this season. Usuthu are languishing at the bottom of the table with 24 points after 26 league games. After two games, they are yet to get off the mark since the resumption of football, and with only four games left, have very little time to do so. They shared the spoils with Baroka FC in a 0-0 stalemate before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Bidvest Wits. Team Manager at Usuthu, Qedi Dlamini, said, obviously, that they will give their all to avoid relegation. “We know the importance of collecting points at this
environment is one where hurts are
captain
stage on three successive Saturdays. “It is going to be huge,” said Erasmus, moments after his Springboks beat England to win the World Cup in Japan. “We are already counting down the days.” Huge may even be an understatement because the Lions in South Africa will be the biggest sporting event in the country since the 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup. South African supporters have also been put in front of the queue when it comes to accessibility and affordability. The cheapest tickets are category D tickets and these have been made exclusive to South African residents. South African residents will also benefit because the majority of match day tickets can only be purchased by residents, through the local tour website; www.lionstour2021.co.za The Springboks and Lions three Test matches could sell out three times over, when the travelling Lions supporters are added to the
stage of the season. We are optimistic that we will be able to pick up maximum points against Bloemfontein Celtic (today). The boys have shown a positive response at training after the defeat against Wits (the 2-1 loss on Friday), “ Dlamini detailed. “It is very tight at the bottom. You can’t tell what will transpire. Anything can still happen but we won’t get relegated. I know some people have started to write us off but we will bounce back. All we need to do is to convert our chances in front of goal. We’ve got 12 points to fight for in our last games,” he added. In their last four league matches, Usuthu will face Celtic, Black Leopards, Stellenbosch FC and Highlands Park.