Government gets ally in cigarette ban case as lawyer body applies to join in

The National Association of Democratic Lawyers (Nadel) will join the government in opposing the Fair-trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) court challenge to the ban on sales of tobacco and related products.

In a statement, Nadel said it would join the case as a friend of the court when Fita goes head-to-head with President Cyril Ramaphosa and co-operative governance & traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Fita has filed an urgent application in the Pretoria high court.

“Nadel has considered this application and the evidence of its experts [and] is of the view that it is in the best interest of society that cigarettes and tobacco product sales remain prohibited during the lockdown.

“Nadel is of the view that there is sufficient evidence to support the decision to prohibit the sale of tobacco and cigarettes. This prohibition will assist protect the public and reduce the impact and spread of Covid-19.

“Stopping the spread of Covid-19 is of public interest and Nadel will therefore be opposing this application by Fita,” it said.