The wild party reportedly took place at an Airbnb. A spokesperson for Nudy says the rapper is aware of the incident and plans to help cover the cost of repairs.
Members of the Hawks seize illegal cigarettes. Image: SAPS.
The banning of alcohol and tobacco during lockdown has opened the door for the illicit trade of goods, but when people could buy booze and cigarettes again, not all of them returned to the legal market, but kept buying on the black market, costing the country billions in lost revenue. The main obstacle to addressing the illicit trade in South Africa was the fact that the state was not capable of stopping it because state capture had weakened the justice system to such an extent that illicit trade could grow faster, said Busi Mavuso, chief executive officer (CEO) of Business.
Business for SA (B4SA) is campaigning for the government, manufacturers, retailers and consumers to recognise that the growth of the illicit economy – at a similar rate to the legal economy – is a major problem. State capture weakened state entities; Covid-19 rules had the effect of fuelling illicit trade in tobacco, alcohol and other sectors. Listen to anti-crime and tax evasion activists share the granular detail of how businesses that operate outside the law are causing significant damage to the economy. – Jackie Cameron
Yusuf Abramjee on the key issues facing the SA economy:
We have to have an education process where we educate these traders to say, ‘if you’re selling cigarettes for under R20, you are breaking the law – you are not paying your taxes’. That is why I think the time has now come, for government to introduce a minimum price on items like a packet of cigarettes – maybe 30%, 35% or 40% more than the minimum collectible taxes.