Johannesburg – 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.
The sale of cigarettes is prohibited under level 3 lockdown.
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 comes 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 President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday assured smokers that the ban on cigarette would 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.
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