Fita asks to appeal high court ruling to not lift cigarette ban

The Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) has filed for leave to appeal a court ruling dismissing its bid to overturn government’s ban on tobacco products.

“Earlier today we filed our application for leave to appeal the ruling of the Pretoria High Court on 26 June 2020 dismissing our application to have the ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products during the lockdown period lifted,” Fita said on its Twitter page. This after the High Court in Pretoria ruled against Fita last month.

The court said a product’s addictive properties do not mean it can be deemed essential during the lockdown. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa assured smokers that the ban on cigarettes will eventually be lifted.

“The ban on cigarettes will be lifted. It is still in place in terms of the regulations and I think we should accept it as such and with time as we go to another and another level, the ban on cigarettes will also be lifted,” said Ramaphosa.  Coronavirus Hotline Number: 0800 029 999 from 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday.

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In other news – Zandie Khumalo Praises her sister Kelly Khumalo but only as a Fan

Zandie Khumalo has put aside her feud with sister Kelly, gushing over the star’s latest project. Zandie and Kelly have been locked in a legal battle after a disagreement earlier this year, but Zandie took to Instagram on Friday to pay tribute to her sister as “a fan from day one”. However, she made it clear that she was not posting the message as Kelly’s sister. Read more

Source: eNCA