There could be bad news for smokers and drinkers after it emerged that Cooperative Governance Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma told the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) that the sale of tobacco and alcohol should continue to be banned until the country reaches Level 1 of the lockdown.

News24 reportss that Dlamini-Zuma was supported by Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi when she told the NCCC that she believed it would be too much of a health risk to allow the sale of cigarettes and alcohol.

The news site reports that Dlamin-Zuma’s proposal prompted a debate in the meeting, chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa, with no resolution on the matter.

Ramaphosa announced that the country is expected to go to Level 3 of the nationwide lockdown and that government would lift the restrictions on the sale of tobacco under the the Level 3 regulations.

According to News24, those who opposed the proposal led by Dlamini-Zuma argued that a pandemic was not the time to make policy decisions, as both the tobacco and alcohol industries were not banned but simply regulated.

Faizel Patel 

(Twitter: @FaizelPatel143)