The DA said the ban devastated businesses and workers in the alcohol and cigarette sectors and now needs to be discarded to prioritise livelihoods
The Democratic Alliance (DA) wants the ban on the sale of alcohol and cigarettes lifted with immediate effect.
This is after comments last week by the President of South African Medical Research Council, Glenda Gray – that government now needs to reconsider the ban as what was needed has been achieved.
The party’s Dean McPherson said if the ban on the sale of alcohol and cigarettes is lifted, it will give credence to government’s assertion that the decisions of the national coronavirus command council are guided by scientific input.
“The ban on tobacco and alcohol have had devastating consequences for hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their jobs in those industries.”
McPherson said lifting the ban will also dent the illicit trade market.
“We cannot allow cigarette smugglers to continue to enrich themselves, while South Africans are criminalised for buying cigarettes.”
The DA said the country has lost billions of rand in revenue and taxes, which it will never be able to recover.
