Ramaphosa: Cigarette 'ban will be lifted'
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the ban on cigarette sale will not last forever.
Ramaphosa made the remarks on Wednesday night during a virtual Presidential Imbizo on coronavirus.
He interacted with a number of residents on challenges in society.
Ramaphosa says the country will not be in a lockdown forever and the ban should be accepted.
He said with time as we enter another level the ban on cigarettes will also be lifted.
"As I've said it won't be banned forever in our country they ban will be lifted," he said.
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Ramaphosa was also asked about the rationale behind the lifting on the ban on the sale of alcohol while the ban on cigarettes was upheld.
"The rationale really was that we could not keep a number of areas of South African economic activity closed forever.
"The same time are we have lifted, we started seeing the ugly side of our social life where there has been an excessive abuse of alcohol which has led to whole other social ill," he said.
