South African lawmakers on Saturday threw their weight behind the government to continue a ban on the sale of tobacco products as the COVID-19 pandemic was raging in the country, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
This came after the Pretoria High Court ruled on Friday in favor of a government decision to ban the sale of tobacco products as part of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
Responding to the ruling, Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs said it welcomed the court ruling to dismiss the application by the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association against the ban.
The judgement "is welcomed as it promotes and protects the right to life and the right of access to the healthcare facilities," Committee Chairperson Faith Muthambi said in a statement emailed to Xinhua.
The ban, along with other lockdown regulations, was not meant to be punitive, but for the protection of all the people living in South Africa, said Muthambi.