Smokers unite to protest cigarette ban

Over 100 people gathered in their cars and motorbikes at the northbound BP Oasis on the N1 Highway near Beyers Naudé Drive to engage in a peaceful drive-slow protest to raise awareness and drive solidarity against the cigarette ban.

“We want our rights back. It is ridiculous that the majority of smokers have to turn to illegal means to continue something that we rely on. Our country has lost millions of rands in revenue, and we need our cigarettes to be sold at a normal price at normal shops once again,” said Smokers Unite SA’s Carlos Alves. For over four months now, smokers have been unable to purchase cigarettes at shops due to a ban of them put in place when the nationwide lockdown started to curb the spread of Covid-19 in March.

Many smokers have had to resort to illegal means of purchasing cigarettes to help feed their smoking addiction. Alves has been a smoker for over 25 years and felt strongly that the peaceful protest would raise awareness about the supposed violation of smokers’ rights. On the morning of 25 July, a convoy drove from the N1 Highway up to a meeting point with other protesters in Midrand, before turning down onto the N14 Highway heading to Krugersdorp.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPVZoxmp_6o 

The protest did not only take place in Randburg and Midrand, it took place in various areas in the East Rand, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, George, and even some solidarity for the movement shown in Australia.”We really hope that the government can see what we have done here today and see how many people are unhappy about it. This protest is not just about our cigarettes, it’s about fighting for our rights that have been taken away from us overnight. We are more than serious about this,” concluded Alves.

Alves said that all protocols were followed in obtaining permission for the protest to take place from the Metro police.