Ugwayi owu-60% odayisa ezweni uwumbombayi – ucwaningo
WUBONISWA MOHALE
UMA uyixhwele, maningi amathuba okuthi ubhema ugwayi owumbombayi futhi oyingxenye yemboni engekho semthethweni eNingizimu Afrika.
Ucwaningo olusha lwabacwaningi base-University of Cape Town (e-UCT) oluthi “South Africa’s Illicit Cigarette Crisis: Evidence from the 2021 Global Adult Tobacco Survey luveza ukuthi ugwayi owu-60% odayisa eNingizimu Afrika uwumbombayi.
Kuvela ukuthi ugwayi womkokotelo uqale ukudayisa kakhulu ngesikhathi izwe livaliwe futhi uhulumeni uvale ukudayisa kukagwayi ngemva kokubheduka kwe-Covid-19.
Usomnotho obeyingxenye yalolu cwaningo uMnu uMxolisi Zondi uthi bathole ukuthi ngaphambi kwango-2020 ugwayi womkokotelo wawungu-30% wogwayi odayisa ezweni njengoba izibalo sezinyuke zafinyelela ku-60%.
Ubalule ukuthi uhulumeni ulahlekelwa yimali engaphezu kwangoR50 billion ngenxa yogwayi womkokotelo ngenxa yokuthi awukhokhi ntela.
“Iphakethe likagwayi osemthethweni kufanele likhokhe intela ewuR23 kodwa owomkokotela ubiza imali engaphansi kwangoR20. Kusho ukuthi siyizwe sinenkinga yomnotho ongekho semthethweni okhulayo. Sizoba nenkinga yezempilo ngoba baningi abantu ababhemayo ngenxa yokuthi ugwayi usushibhile,” kusho yena.
Kuzokhumbuleka ukuthi kulo nyaka iBritish American Tobacco South Africa (iBAT SA) imemezele ukuthi izovala ifemu yayo eseHeidelberg, Ekurhuleni, eGauteng, ngenxa yokwanda kukagwayi owumbombayi.
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Inhloko yezindaba zomigomo eBAT SA uMnu uJohnny Moloto waveza ukuthi ifemu yabo isiyenza umsebenzi owu-30% walowo okufanele iwenze ngakho ngeke bakwazi ukuqhubeka nokusebenza.
Lesi sinqumo sizoqeda imisebenzi ewu-230 efemini newu-35 000 emaplazini awu-100 atshala ugwayi eLimpopo, eNorth West naseFree State.
UZondi uthe eminyakeni edlule iBAT SA ibiphethe u-90% wemakethe yogwayi ezweni kodwa manje imakethe isilawulwa yiPolaris Manufacturing, ebiyaziwa ngeGold Leaf Tobacco Corporation.
Isishoshovu nomsunguli wenhlangano elwa nobugebengu nokukhula komnotho wamasela iTax Justice South Africa uMnu uYusuf Abramjee sithi ukudayisa kogwayi owumbombayi kuphezulu kakhulu.
“Kunocwaningo olwalwenziwe khona e-UCT ngo-2021, olwalukhombisa le nkinga, kanti lolu olusha lusukela lapho. Manje ugwayi owumbombayi usuwenza ugwayi owu-75% odayisa ezweni. Udla intela kahulumeni eyizigidigidi. Lolu cwaningo lukhombisa ukuthi imigulukudu eshushumbisa imali emhlabeni yiyona esiphethe imakethe kagwayi kuleli zwe,” kusho yena.
Usole uhulumeni ngokungasukumi ngisho abezindaba sebebike kakhulu ngemboni kagwayi owumbombayi kwaze kwanohlelo oluveza ubugebengu obenziwa yiGold Leaf Tobacco kodwa azikho izinyathelo eyathathelwa zona.
“Abantu kufanele bazi ukuthi iphakethe logwayi owumbombayi lixhasa izigebengu ezenza ubugebengu obuhleliwe, liqeda imisebenzi futhi lidla intela ebizosiza uhulumeni ukuletha izidingo,” kusho u-Abramjee.
Unxuse oklebe noPhiko lokuShushisa eZweni ukuthi lubathathele izinyathelo abavezwa ukuthi bayizigebengu endabeni yeGold Leaf.
Ufuna iSouth African Revenue Service iqinise umthetho. Unxuse iPhalamende ukuthi liphenye ngokuxega komthetho okuholele ekukhuleni kwemboni yogwayi owumbombayi.
“Uhulumeni unabo ubufakazi. Osekusele wukuthi uthathe izinyathelo. Sifuna ukubona abantu beboshwa, beshushiswa bese befakwa ejele, ikakhulu abangomaqhuzu kule mboni yobugebengu. Uma kungenzeki loko abantu abasebenza kanzima bazoqhubeka nokuxhashazwa yizigebengu.”