South Africa tobacco bill stalls amid election preparations

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As South Africa braces itself for general elections this month, the country's proposal to ban duty-free tobacco sales takes a back seat-for now

South African duty-free operators may have to wait another two months to see if the government's proposed ban on duty-free tobacco sales will be passed. The bill is currently with the Department of Health for discussion, but industry campaigners told travelretailworld.com that any further progress is unlikely before the country's general elections in mid-April, and that the next government will probably return to the issue after it settles into power.

The South African duty-free working group, a local industry body formed specifically to tackle the tobacco issue, reported that health officials had been surprised by the level of interest in the bill and by the scale of its influence in areas outside the core duty-free retail industry, such as ship-chandling. "They underestimated the amount of foreign currency duty-free tobacco brings into the country, and its importance in other fields not related to duty-free outlets at airports," said International Travel Retail Confederation director-general Keith Spinks.

The ministry has guaranteed the working group a hearing before the bill is passed to the cabinet for approval. The hearing will offer the group another opportunity to express their views before health officials decide on the wording of the bill.