If you are a vaper in South Africa, you need to understand what is about to happen. Within months, the government’s new Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill will pass through Parliament. When it does, vaping in this country will be finished.
The destruction began two years ago with the excise tax of R2.90 per millilitre that wiped out many vape shops. Thousands of jobs were lost, and only a handful of stores survived. Most vapers turned to online retailers as their only reliable option. That lifeline for vapers living far away from a vape shop is about to be cut.
The bill bans all online vape-related sales, purchases and even courier deliveries; no more vape-mail from any source. And it goes further – you may not use any courier, postal service, or electronic platform to buy, sell, swap, gift, or send anything vaping-related to anyone.
It criminalises everything – classifieds, second-hand WhatsApp groups, and dropping a device into a courier locker for a friend. Anyone who breaks these laws faces heavy fines or even imprisonment. If you don’t live close to one of the few surviving stores, you will simply be cut off.
No choice, no freedom
Even if you still have a vape shop nearby, you will not be allowed to taste a liquid, try a device, or see how it works. The bill makes it illegal to vape inside a vape shop. It is like banning people from trying on shoes in a shoe store. Vaping will also be banned at expos and gatherings like VapeCon and vape meets.
The government has written the bill to treat vaping as the same as smoking – despite all evidence to the contrary. Vapour is defined as “smoke.” Vaping will be banned in restaurants, pubs, designated public outdoor areas, in your car when minors are present, and even in your own home if you employ a cleaner. The minister will have the power to declare more and more spaces off-limits, until almost nowhere remains.
On top of this, every product is forced to use plain packaging, large warning labels, and an absolute ban on advertising and displays. You will walk into a shop and see nothing – no branding, no choice, no information. For businesses, it means the end of brand identity. For customers, it means buying blind.
Ignoring harm reduction
All of this comes despite clear evidence that vaping helps smokers quit…
Terence Davie | Associate | Free Market Foundation | mail me |
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