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ActionSA condemns the Department of Health for authorising radio advertisements which claim that “vaping is just as bad as smoking cigarettes.” This statement is false and misleading. While vaping is not without risk, the available scientific evidence is clear that it is not equivalent to the harms of combustible cigarettes. By insisting otherwise, the Department is spreading propaganda rather than facts.

Even more concerning is that these advertisements are being run while the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill is still before the Portfolio Committee on Health. By presenting contested provisions of the Bill as if they are already law, the Department is deliberately misleading the public and undermining the constitutional role of Parliament.

South Africans are entitled to honest, evidence-based information, not fearmongering. Parliament is entitled to respect for its processes, not executive interference.

Consequently, ActionSA lodged a formal complaint with the Advertising Regulatory Board demanding the immediate withdrawal of these misleading advertisements, and submitted a separate complaint to the Speaker of the National Assembly against the Department of Health for contemptuous conduct that undermines the authority of Parliament.

The Minister must explain why the Department has chosen to misinform South Africans and interfere with established democratic process. ActionSA will ensure that accountability is enforced, and that Parliament’s authority is not trampled by an overreaching executive.

Issued ActionSA Member of Parliament Dr Kgosi Letlape MP