FACTSHEET 2: THE WRONG MEDICINE

Addressing illicit trade is not just an economic imperative but a critical public health priority. Only by bringing the tobacco market back under proper regulatory control can South Africa hope to implement effective measures to reduce smoking rates and protect public health.

The proliferation of illicit tobacco in South Africa presents a significant obstacle to achieving the country’s public health objectives, particularly in reducing the incidence of smoking. Despite South Africa’s efforts to implement stricter tobacco control measures, we face the alarming reality that due to illicit trade, annual cigarette consumption has increased from 30.5 billion sticks in 2013 to 37 billion in 2023. More troubling is the fact that the proportion of cigarettes on which taxes were paid has plummeted from 20.5 billion sticks in 2013 to a mere 13 billion in 2023.