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“I think the government is violating the rights of smokers by banning cigarettes. It is my money and my health and I have the right to decide when to quit smoking,” says Veli Hlongwane of Maliwa Street, Mzimhlophe, in Soweto, GroundUp reports.
“I adhere to the rules of [the] Covid-19 lockdown … If a friend asks to smoke, I give because it is his risk, not mine, but I no longer ask for a skyf (puff) “, he says.
“The price of a Savannah cigarette increased from R1.50 to R4.00 and the cheapest from 50 cents to R3.50 … I smoke three Savannah cigarettes per day, which are R12 per day. The government should reconsider the prohibition [on] cigarettes, “says Hlongwane.
Sandile Mtshali of Meadowlands Zone 11 is a young spaza shop owner who has a liquor license. He says he has lost R25,000 in profits due to the ban on cigarettes and alcohol, and has received no financial help from the government.
“I kept trading until the police arrested me for selling cigarettes and beer during the shutdown. I learned my lesson and I will never be on the wrong side of the law again,” says Mtshali.
READ | Smoke and mirrors: 4 minutes – This is the time it took to find banned cigarettes during closing
Golan Mohammed, a Bangladeshi immigrant who rents a store in the Meadowlands, said he has lost around R20,000 in profits due to the cigarette ban.
“The government should give us the money they promised us, because we are fighting and the negotiation times have also been shortened.”
“Going big or going home is the new catchphrase for the burgeoning township business of selling cigarettes,” says Sam Sitoe, wearing a homemade mask and selling fruits and vegetables in the Meadowlands. “Better a friend with a cigarette than a friend with a Lamborghini.”
Sibusiso (last name withheld) has become a trusted illicit cigarette merchant in Mzimhlophe, where he packs Caesar Gold, Life Virginia King Size, RG blue, and imported tobacco on display.
“This is my way of surviving and earning clean money without getting into trouble with the police, but the new cigarette ban laws are taking my bread away. At night I sell RG loose for R5 and during the day the normal price is R3 ” 50. A pack of 20 is R50, which is the cheapest RG fongkong (fake) cigarette. Courtleigh is the most expensive package around R140 in some places and one loose cigarette is R7 each, “says Sibusiso.
“All fake cigarettes are very expensive now. Forum, Peter Gold, Malimbo, F1, Rainbow Gold and Remington are sold for R50, where I have cigarettes next to Bara hospital (Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital). I need to get more from my supplier because people buy in bulk, “he says.
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