For close to a decade, tobacco control lobbyists in South Africa have been working towards getting the new tobacco control law enacted in the country.
The Draft Control Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill is an important part of tobacco control efforts in the country as it will regulate the use of electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, which is widely used in the country.
Although there is limited and unclear evidence on health risks associated with electronic cigarettes, it is impossible to say if and by how much they are safer or more dangerous than traditional cigarettes. In 2018 significant progress was made and the Draft Control Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill went as far as parliament and was sent out for public comment.
But since then, the bill has stagnated and no further progress has been made. The reasons for the delay remain unclear. Has the tobacco industry had a hand in this delay.
Globally, it is known that the tobacco industry has historically played an active role in the shaping and subverting tobacco control policies globally, often delaying legislative measures from being finalised. Teurai Rwafa, a researcher at Wits University hopes to understand the role the tobacco industry has played in South Africa.
Her study will identify the factors hindering implementation of the WHO FCTC Article 5.3 in South Africa with a specific focus on the role played by the tobacco industry in interfering with the implementation, and the South African government’s ability to effectively respond to such interference.
She will use a case study approach in order to understand ‘what’ is happening (i.e. the links between the tobacco industry and tobacco control policy) and in ‘how’ it is happening (if issues of tobacco industry interference are affecting passage of Tobacco Bill in South Africa.
While South Africa is not the first country to want to regulate e-cigarettes without success if South Africa wants to reduce this burden of tobacco products and e-cigarettes it is critical that it introduces strict regulations proposed in the Draft Tobacco Bill, so that harm among smokers and others around them may be reduced.