ETHEKWINI Municipality’s Operation Gijima kicked off in the far-southern wards recently, targeting sales of illicit cigarettes and by-law enforcement.

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Led by the Isipingo Supply side Area Based Directorate with the assistance of the metro police, SAPS, and SARS, the operation targeted Wards 67, 89, 90, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 100,105, and 109, which cover the area between Isipingo and Umkomaas.

eThekwini spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said Operation Gijima aims to strengthen enforcement and compliance while addressing service delivery challenges in these areas. In Ward 99, two foreign nationals were arrested for selling illegal cigarettes and for failing to produce asylum documents. A fine was also issued for business non-compliance.

The arrests come as British American Tobacco SA (BATSA) recently announced that it was exiting the South African market, as it was no longer making a profit. The company manufactures most of the popular brands that have been smoked in South Africa for decades. Smokers have apparently shifted to cheaper brands that cross the border illegally from Zimbabwe. These brands are openly sold in shops around Amanzimtoti.

BATSA’s head of corporate and regulatory affairs for Sub-Saharan Africa, Johnny Moloto, said about 75% of the South African cigarette market is estimated to be illicit, making local manufacturing unviable.

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“BATSA has raised these concerns for years, providing data and proposing solutions. While some in government have genuinely tried to help, the overall response hasn’t been enough to protect legitimate businesses and the jobs they create. With the illicit industry’s current size and scale, only a co-ordinated, whole-of-government response can make a real impact,” said Moloto.

An Amanzimtoti shop owner who spoke on condition of anonymity said he stocks all types of cigarettes, but customers mostly buy the illicit ones.

“Out of every 20 packets I sell, only one is a legitimate brand. If they don’t buy it from me, they’ll get it somewhere else, so I might as well sell it and make a profit,” said the shopkeeper.

He laid the blame on government as, he said, after the 2020 cigarette ban during the Covid-19 pandemic, almost all smokers shifted to illicit brands, which continued to be readily available after shops were forbidden to sell cigarettes.

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