“People think that government is trying to force things down their throat,” says Dr Catherine Egbe, a specialist scientist of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC).

“I think that the industry is the one pushing that narrative. We’ve always had problems with illicit tobacco in the country. I know that the government has been trying to take some measures to curb that. Information from a study conducted by the HSRC [Human Sciences Research Council] shows that only about 12% of people are going to buy illicit cigarettes.”

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