This past Friday Police Minster Bheki Cele held a media briefing on the adherence to lockdown regulations - we should have known that Hurrell would seize the opportunity to highlight Cele’s latest jaw-dropping information for smokers.
He told the nation that smokers who light up outside of their homes should be able to provide receipts to show where they had bought their cigarettes and if the purchase was in fact legal.
To quote Minister Cele, “It is not illegal to smoke cigarettes in your house. The only problem is when we find it in a car and you fail to show us where you did you get the cigarette … and when.”
“If you say you have bought the cigarette, here is the receipt, we’ve got two options there: to get you, and go and get the person who sold the cigarette to you. But if the cigarette was there in your thousand looses and you’re smoking in your home, really, we’re not coming into your house and arrest you.”
And this is where Hurrell saw his opportunity and before we knew it, Where did you get that cigarette? hit social media.
WHERE DID YOU GET THE CIGARETTE ???? pic.twitter.com/iK6CXJtO5k
— Max Hurrell (@MaxHurrellSA) May 23, 2020
What does defy logic is that as the ban continues, so does the illicit trade in cigarettes. According to a study by the University of Cape Town “, almost all smokers have been able to buy cigarettes during the coronavirus lockdown, and concludes that the ban is backfiring badly and should be lifted as soon as possible.”
In closing, as stated in an article on news24,” The possession of cigarettes during the lockdown is not a crime, and police officers may not compel you to give an explanation on why you have it on your person, despite comments made by Police Minister Bheki Cele. While the minister may have clarified that the sale of tobacco products is currently prohibited under the lockdown regulations, promulgated through the Disaster Management Act, the mere possession of cigarettes does not suspend other rights in law.”
Twitter is already ablaze with smokers irate over the continuation of the ban when South Africa moves to level 3 as of the 1st June.
Thanks for the laugh Hurrell – maybe it will make its way to Cele and he too will ask," Who is this Max Hurrell fellow.”
P.S: Hurrell’s now-famous ZOL clip has made it to almost 10 million views.
