According to health experts, the government's u-turn on cigarette sales could result in disastrous consequences of acute, forced, involuntary nicotine withdrawal. Last week Wednesday, cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma prohibited the sale of cigarettes during the nationwide lockdown. This announcement came less than two days before the initial ban on tobacco was supposed to be lifted during SA’s level 4 lockdown on Friday the 1st of May.
In order to navigate through subjective stress and anger, smokers are now left with very few options. Either ration current stock, quit smoking or source tobacco illegally. Most smokers have run out of the stock they bought for the initial three-week lockdown and the difficulty of quitting the habit has resulted in smokers turning to the illicit tobacco trade, thus feeding organised crime.

Guest: Yusuf Abramjee - Founder of Tax Justice South Africa