South Africa Tobacco Bill Remains Pending as Smoking Raises TB Risks

Professor Lekan Ayo-Yusuf wrote that South Africa cannot end tuberculosis while nicotine addiction remains unchecked. He linked the statement to World No Tobacco Day on May 31. South Africa has reduced deaths among people living with HIV, yet smoking now shortens life expectancy more than HIV itself among those whose virus is suppressed, according to a recent simulation study.

Tobacco smoke weakens immune responses that fight TB infection, and emerging evidence points to similar effects from nicotine in e-cigarettes.

Survey data show rising cigarette, hubbly, and vaping rates among young adults, with many people using both cigarettes and vapes. The professor noted that the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, introduced in the National Assembly in December 2022, does not ban vaping products.

The bill would require graphic health warnings, restrict advertising aimed at minors, and expand smoke-free areas. Kenya has already adopted similar packaging rules while its own legislation is under review.

Opponents have cited illicit trade and job losses. Research cited in the article indicates that most illicit cigarettes come from local manufacturers and that weak enforcement, not control laws, drives the trade. Smoking-related illness already costs South Africa tens of billions of rand each year and caused more than 30,000 deaths in 2023.