Smokers cry foul after police blow out protests
Smokers marching against the ban on tobacco products said their rights to protest were violated when police officers waited for them at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
The planned protest — started and shared via a Facebook lobby group called Unite Against The Tobacco Ban — was expected to be held at the Union Buildings yesterday and in nine other places around the country.
Marches went ahead in Cape Town and Durban.
When a SowetanLIVE team arrived in Pretoria, a few protesters — all wearing masks — also arrived, but were turned away by police.
The officers said the gathering was illegal.
Conrad Marshall, who lives in Pretoria, said he was disappointed. “We have the right to protest.
“To say we don’t under the Disaster Management Act is not correct,” he said.
He arrived at the Union Buildings at 11.30am.
“The police were already here. The captain came and showed us the regulations and said we were not allowed to be here. They warned us,” he said.
Marshall, 49, who is not a smoker, said he was there to give his support.
Naidine Alers, 50, who was also there for the march, said the government was not being fair to smokers.
“We are already paying R500 for a carton of cigarettes.
It’s not right,” she said.
She said it was not fair that the ban on alcohol was lifted while the ban on cigarettes continued.
Paul Blackburn, who was leading the Pretoria march, said it was obvious that the government knew about the protest, which was why police were sent.
Blackburn said the captain showed him the regulations, which stated that gatherings were prohibited.
“The place [Union Buildings] is locked.
“He told us we need to leave or we will be arrested.
“I have handed the memorandum to the captain, but unfortunately he said there is noone to receive it,” he said.
Blackburn said the concern was that the government was not listening to the people.
“It’s clear to me they don’t care what people say.
“The people have no say or rights. It seems like democracy is dead in SA,” he said. Human Rights Front of SA director Byron Bernad said: “It really upsets me because the whole point of the protest was because human rights are being violated.
“You can’t just take human rights from someone.
“We came here and realised the only people who are here are the media because they have permits and are allowed to be here.
“So protesters are not allowed here. For me, it’s another violation of rights,” he said.
In Cape Town and Durban, the marches went ahead as planned.
Protesters staged their march outside parliament in Cape Town, demanding that the ban on tobacco, tobacco products, e-cigarettes and related products be lifted with immediate effect.
Durban resident Charlene Wannenburg is not a smoker but was one of four people who picketed outside the Durban Magistrate’s Court.
“Basically, I am here to support the spaza shop man because that’s his income.
“He sells loose [cigarettes] at the side of the road,” Wannenburg said.
She said she was also supporting distributors and sales representatives.
“Right now you are crippling them,” she said.
Protester Adrianne Gopper said: “I am a smoker. It’s my life and my choice.
“I decided to start smoking from the age of 23 and taking that away from me is against my constitutional right. We are paying ridiculous prices.”
Smokers headed to to parliament yesterday to protest against the cigarette ban.
Most placards branded cooperative governance and traditional affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma a “liar”.
Others read: “We want to zol.”
Joy Smith, 70, who joined the growing number of protesters at noon, said she had been smoking for 50 years.
“A ban like this will not stop me from smoking,” Smith said.
“Mrs Dlamini-Zuma is using the Covid-19 pandemic to further her own agenda.
“She might hate smoking, and she is entitled to her opinion. That’s her right.
“She must not lie. She stood in front of the nation and said she had 2,000 people supporting her. When a tobacco company analysed that, there weren’t 2,000 supporters. ”—