British American Tobacco SA is confident that the Supreme Court of Appeal will uphold a Western Cape High Court decision in its favour. British American Tobacco SA (BATSA) is "disappointed, but not surprised", that Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has been granted leave to appeal the Western Cape High Court's ruling that the lockdown ban on tobacco sales was unconstitutional and invalid. "The Western Cape Court ruled that the tobacco ban infringed the rights to privacy, dignity, bodily and psychological integrity, property and freedom to trade, and that those infringements were not reasonable or justified," states BATSA. In the view of BATSA, criminal cartels exploited the tobacco ban, further establishing distribution routes and supply lines, and "educating" South African smokers about purchasing illegal and untaxed cigarettes. A spokesperson of BAT told the OCCRP that the multinational was opposed to the illegal trade in tobacco, which was a "serious, highly organised crime".

Source: The North Africa Journal March 02, 2021 15:36 UTC