adminJOHANNESBURG. — The “Smokers Protest” will take place tomorrow, and there will certainly be fuel for the fire following Police Minister Bheki Cele’s remarks on the cigarette ban.
You should know the drill by now: The cigarette ban gets brought up, Cele chimes in with something controversial, and it becomes a national talking point.
However, the police minister may have outdone himself this time, after he called for people caught smoking tobacco to be lumped with a criminal record.
The top cop, however, may have only ended up intensifying this weekend’s planned “Smokers Protest”.
Cele was responding to a Parliamentary question posed by the DA’s William Aucamp, and the Cabinet member stunned his political opponent when he said that “to purchase a cigarette during the national lockdown is a crime” and “there must be a kind of criminal record”.
Many South Africans are now too fearful of the consequences.
“At the very least, the government should decriminalise the use of tobacco in lockdown, and fine those who do not follow the rules. With rising unemployment, a weakening economy, and a global pandemic, South Africans shouldn’t have to worry about the consequences of a criminal record for purchasing a cigarette.”
It was a statement that’s indicative of the breakdown in trust between smokers and the government. So perhaps it’s little wonder that some frustrated cigarette enthusiasts are set to hit the streets this weekend.
The Dear Mr President group has had enough of the smoking ban. They are going ahead with a public protest tomorrow, in the hopes of influencing the government to ease the restrictions on tobacco sales.
The group also wants to protest the physical, emotional, and socio-economic impact caused by the cigarette ban.
Organisers have asked participants to stand in small groups, wearing black armbands and socially distancing from other parties. Facemasks are also a requirement. — thesouthafrican.com
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