South Africa’s Tobacco Bill: A Case-Study in Anti-Democratic Lawmaking

October 7, 2025

Nicholas Woode-Smith

FMF Policy Brief

Summary

South Africa’s proposed Tobacco Bill represents a significant threat to the country’s democratic principles through its flawed legislative process and substantive shortcomings. This report examines the Bill’s development as a case study in anti-democratic lawmaking, highlighting procedural violations, disregard for public participation, and an alarming overreach by unelected entities.

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Nicholas Woode-Smith

Nicholas Woode-Smith is an Associate at the Free Market Foundation and Western Cape coordinator of the FMF Campaign for Home Rule. He is an economic historian, policy analyst and author. He has written extensively on South Africa’s policy framework and economy.

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The views expressed in the article are the author’s and are not necessarily shared by the members of the Foundation. This article may be republished without prior consent but with acknowledgement to the author.