South Africa’s Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) has been granted the opportunity to appeal the high court’s decision to uphold the tobacco ban, reported Insider.

FITA recently announced that it would be returning to the South African high court to appeal the recent decision made to uphold South Africa’s tobacco ban. The appeal will be heard 15 July. FITA has been leading recent efforts to overturn the ban, contending that cigarettes and other tobacco products are essential items. It also argues that the ban on cigarette sales has been undermined by plans to reopen restaurants, casinos and cinemas, with Sinenhlanha Mnguni, FITA’s chairman, telling the Associated Press that “It makes no sense” earlier in July.
According to the report, multiple sources have found that the ban has led to a spike in the trade of illegal, often counterfeit, tobacco products. Cigarettes have subsequently become the most sought after drug in the country, becoming more profitable than cocaine and heroin. A survey conducted by the University of Cape Town found that out of 12,000 smokers, 90 per cent of them had bought cigarettes illegally during lockdown.
A separate legal case against the ban, brought to court by British American Tobacco, will not be heard until August.