Parliament, Friday, 29 August 2025 – The Portfolio Committee on Health concluded its virtual public hearings on the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery System Control Bill on Thursday.
The virtual public hearings provided an opportunity for stakeholders to make oral presentations on their written submissions. The committee commenced this leg of the public participation process on the Tobacco Bill on 19 March 2025.
Stakeholders who participated in the public hearings include tobacco industry stakeholders, members of the hospitality industry, professional associations, civil society organisations, researchers, academics, private companies, lobby groups, public health entities, statutory bodies, sector experts, political organisations, labour unions and other interested stakeholders.
About 59 stakeholders had expressed interest in making oral presentations during the virtual public hearings and 48 of these made oral presentations of their written submissions to the committee, while 11 organisations withdrew from the process saying that their input has been captured sufficiently by other stakeholders.
During the virtual public hearings, a range of perspectives on the bill emerged. Supporters welcomed it as an essential instrument to reduce smoking prevalence and protect non-smokers, workers and children. They noted that the bill closes regulatory loopholes, ensuring comprehensive control of emerging products, thus representing an important step in prioritising public health over industry interests.
Proposals such as plain packaging for tobacco products was considered an effective measure to reduce appeal, especially among the youth, and would also limit exposure to tobacco marketing. However, critics argued that the bill treats electronic delivery systems in the same manner as combustible tobacco, overlooking their lower-risk profile and potential role in smoking cessation. Concerns were also raised that measures such as plain packaging and display bans could create unintended consequences, such as facilitating counterfeiting and expanding the illicit market, particularly in light of existing enforcement challenges in the country.
Committee chairperson Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo said the public participation process provided an opportunity for the committee to hear the views of various stakeholders in a variety of sectors. “During the public participation process the committee received a lot of diverse people and diverse views on the matter,” he said. Dr Dhlomo reiterated that the bill is about reduction of harm and not a complete ban on smoking
.
The bill was first introduced in Parliament in 2022 and was subsequently referred to the committee for consideration. It was revived by the committee last year at the beginning of the 7th administration for further processing.
Prior to these public hearings, the committee embarked on an extensive public participation process, which commenced with a call for written public submissions on the bill. The committee also hosted public hearings between 18 August 2023 and 2 February 2025. These included visits to 27 municipalities in all nine provinces.
A total of 7 900 members of the public attended the hearings The committee received 1 113 oral submissions from the public during the hearings. Of these, 500 (44.9%) were in support of the bill, 495 (44.5%) rejected the bill and 14 (1.3%) partially supported the bill. There were 104 (9.3%) participants who did not declare their positions on the bill. The provincial public hearings presented varied views on the bill, drawing both positive and negative sentiments.
As the next step in the legislative process, the committee will call the Department of Health to respond to all the issues that were raised by stakeholders and some raised by members of the committee. Furthermore, the committee will adopt a motion of desirability, which will establish whether the committee is proceeding with the bill or stopping and reporting to the House.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, DR SIBONGISENI DHLOMO.
For media inquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Yoliswa Landu (Ms)
Cell: 081 497 4694
E-mail: ylandu@parliament.gov.za
Arrange a tour