SA is one of the countries that is steadily reducing its smoking rates thanks to its anti-tobacco policies, but other low-income African countries such as Uganda and Kenya are doing even better. This is according to a new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to the fourth WHO global tobacco trends report, smoking rates...
Pretoria – Tax Justice SA (TJSA) is calling on all tobacco firms in South Africa to sign up to its new charter aimed at defeating the rampant illicit cigarette trade, which is robbing the country of billions of rand. Following the release of its “explosive” undercover investigation detailing widespread tax evasion in the industry, TJSA...
British American Tobacco SA (BATSA), one of South Africa’s largest tobacco companies, has called on the government to introduce a new minimum price for cigarettes in the country. In a statement on Wednesday (10 November), BATSA said that a new floor price will help combat illegal suppliers and improve tax collection in the country. A survey by market...
Johannesburg - When the Ninth Conference of the Parties (COP9) to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) kicks off later this month, there will be an important voice missing at the talks: members of the vapour products industry. While it’s bad enough that an industry that’ll be directly affected by...
Study supports Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's temporary ban on tobacco sales as it established a link between smoking and Covid-19 complications. National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) says now is the time to tighten tobacco control in the country. New evidence shows a strong link between smoking and increased risks of severe Covid-19. According to UK Biobank research published in a leading...
Firms increased charitable donations to the healthcare sector, and was ‘unnecessarily’ involved in fight against illicit trade in cigarettes, global industry watchdog says. The government’s efforts to limit the influence of the tobacco industry weakened during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released on Tuesday by the global tobacco industry watchdog STOP. The 2021 Global...
Failure to do so runs the risk of inviting Big Tobacco to sink. The recently-released Tobacco Industry Interference Index Report for 2021 has indicated that the South African government is not doing enough to prevent its tobacco control policies from being influenced by the industry. Troublingly, this year’s report found that South Africa dropped six points from...
A new international report said the global fight against tobacco use has waned, and former Health Professions Council (HPCSA) president Dr Kgosi Letlape said innovation and new regulations are needed. Dr Letlape, who was one of the experts that worked on the report, said: “We must differentiate between smoking and smokers. “Remember that behind every cigarette...
High-level employees from British American Tobacco’s U.K. headquarters oversaw a corporate espionage ring in South Africa, buying expensive surveillance equipment that was later used to illegally spy on the company’s competitors, leaked documents show. Allegations that British American Tobacco’s (BAT) South African unit had bribed law enforcement agents to disrupt its competitors’ operations hit headlines...
Tobacco kills an estimated eight million people each year globally. And it’s known that the African continent is being targeted by tobacco companies. Are we doing enough to limit its harmful effects? Over the past three weeks, a series of reports has emerged exposing how tobacco giant British American Tobacco has allegedly been manipulating governments in Africa...
