The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is all set to destroy nearly 20 million cigarettes that were illicitly smuggled inside the country through its border with neighbouring Zimbabwe. The cigarettes are valued at more than $2.3 million and were smuggled into the country between February and May this year.
South Africa has been battling cigarette trafficking for some time now. In an attempt to get an upper hand on the problem and set a precedent, SARS started destroying 20 million smuggled cigarettes on Monday, June 12.
During an interaction with the media, a revenue official said, “Illicit trade robs the government of much-needed revenue and destroys industries, exacerbating unemployment, poverty and inequality.” He further added that the cigarettes were seized over several operations.
Speaking at the destruction of illicit cigarettes currently underway in Beitbridge, Deputy Commissioner Johnstone Makhubu said that “today is a culmination of several activities that have taken place that has been coordinated by colleagues across different operations.”
