The South African Informal Traders Association (Saita) calls on government to consult properly before proceeding with its proposed ban on the display of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Saita represents tens of thousands of informal traders, hawkers, spaza shop owners and home-based operators across all nine provinces in SA. The health minister has said he is going to ban the display of cigarettes by all traders and retailers, no matter how big or small. If you are one of the thousands of hawkers, informal traders or spaza shop owners in SA this ban will hit you hard. We estimate that about a third of the average informal traders’ income comes from cigarette sales. These are people who already struggle to make a living. If their cigarette market is taken away, they may be driven to a life of crime. The proposed ban doesn’t make sense. The minister seems to think that by hiding cigarettes away, people will stop smoking. Anyone can tell you that it won’t work. Smokers want a cig...
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