South Africa health department agrees to exempt smokeless and non-combustible products from tobacco control bill

Key Takeaways

• South Africa’s health department agreed to exempt smokeless and non-combustible products from the bill
• Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi challenged harm-reduction assumptions and said most smokers want to quit
• Jeanette Hunter said exempted products do not involve combustion and contain fewer toxic chemicals
• The department indicated limited packaging and labelling exemptions, while barring misleading or false claims

2Firsts, March 5, 2026

According to Timeslive, South Africa’s health department has agreed to exempt non-combustible and smokeless tobacco products — including chewing tobacco, snus, nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes — from the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, as the legislation was discussed in a parliamentary committee meeting.

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the belief that newer nicotine products could be used as a harm-reduction strategy is based on incorrect claims that smokers cannot or will not quit. He said that, in reality, the majority of smokers dislike being nicotine dependent and want to quit.

Deputy Director-General for Primary Healthcare Jeanette Hunter said the exempted products do not involve combustion and differ from smoked tobacco in that they contain fewer toxic chemicals. She said the department is willing, at this stage, to exempt them from packaging and labelling requirements except where products make misleading or false claims.

Hunter said that, to protect children, there is a need to regulate the type of products, including nicotine edibles, the shape of products that resemble toys, and misleading descriptors. She added that plain packaging does not eliminate anti-counterfeit safeguards such as tax stamps, unique identifiers, track-and-trace markings, security inks, covert markings and digital authentication codes.

The committee also discussed concerns that the regulations might interfere with cultural and spiritual rights related to the consumption and use of tobacco products. Vuyo Zungula raised concerns that the department’s position was not sufficiently clear, arguing that restrictions such as advertising bans, display limits, packaging rules and sales controls could still apply to snuff and other traditional products unless explicitly exempted.

Motsoaledi said he was not aware of combustible products being used in a cultural or spiritual context, adding that he knew snuff was used culturally. He said that if the bill’s language did not adequately exempt such practices, it would be addressed.

Image source: Timeslive