Latest news and press releases
Latest news and press releases
Tuesday 8 July 2025 - SENSATIONAL new evidence reveals that South Africa’s illicit cigarette trade has soared to “anarchic” levels, supercharged by brands from the tobacco company at the…
Wednesday 02 April 2025 - The taxman’s recovery of R30 billion from syndicated crime over the past year underscores both a significant victory and a stark warning: South Africa’s…
Wednesday 12 March 2025 – Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s Budget speech has confirmed South Africans’ worst fears: a 0.5 percentage point VAT increase and another round of above-inflation excise…
Tuesday 11 March 2025 – HIKES in 'sin taxes' in tomorrow’s Budget will further fuel the criminal networks already stealing R100 billion a year from South Africa through illicit…
Thursday 20 February 2025 - Eliminating the rampant illicit cigarette trade would generate as much money as raising VAT by one percentage point, Tax Justice SA (TJSA) can reveal.…
Tuesday 18 February 2025 - Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana must resist the temptation to impose unsustainable ‘sin tax’ increases in his Budget Speech on Wednesday, warns Tax Justice SA…
Thursday 23 January 2025 - Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) is calling for urgent, more aggressive measures to combat the growing illicit cigarette trade following the latest massive bust…
Thursday 28 November 2024 - THE heartbroken mom of a toddler killed in a house fire caused by a faulty plug adaptor has backed Tax Justice SA’s (TJSA) campaign…
Monday, 21 October 2024 - LIVES are in danger and legitimate businesses are at risk from the rampant illicit trade in non-compliant electrical plugs, cables and fittings, Tax Justice…
Friday 27 September 2024 – A NEW court ruling blocking the taxman from monitoring all cigarette factories “makes a mockery of justice” and is another boost for criminals robbing…
Monday 19 August 2024 - SOUTH Africa’s rampant illicit cigarette trade is a “national disaster” that requires urgent action from our new Government, crime experts have warned. eNCA’s Crime…
Thursday 18 July 2024 - THE Western Cape has become the epicentre of South Africa's rampant illicit tobacco trade, with a shocking three out of every four stores in the…
Tuesday 16 July 2024 - Tax Justice SA (TJSA) applauds South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner Edward Kieswetter for his latest commitment to tackling the producers of illicit cigarettes…
Sunday 14 July 2024 - DAMNING new research shows that chief suspects in the multi-billion-rand illicit cigarette trade are the very same manufacturers asking the courts to prevent the…
Thursday 16 May 2024 – A COURT order stopping the taxman from installing cameras in cigarette factories is a green light for gangsters to continue looting South Africans of…
Thursday 11 April 2024 – TAX Justice SA (TJSA) today welcomes the taxman’s renewed crackdown on the rampant illicit tobacco trade and demands that all cigarette manufacturers show their…
Sunday April 7 2024 – TOBACCO companies must withdraw their legal action against the South African Revenue Service (SARS) unless they wish to defy the taxman’s crackdown on organised…
Tuesday 26 March 2024 - DAMNING new evidence showing that South Africa’s illicit cigarette trade has sky-rocketed by more than 1,100% in little over a decade proves that the…
Wednesday 28 February 2024 – TAX Justice SA (TJSA) welcomes confirmation that the taxman has laid a damages claim of more than R4.87 billion against Sasfin Bank for links…
Tuesday 27 February 2024 – TODAY’S news that the taxman has issued a damages claim of more than R4.87 billion against Sasfin Bank linked to alleged money-laundering has brought…
Wednesday 21 February 2024 – TAX Justice SA has welcomed today’s Budget announcement that SARS investigations into the gold and tobacco industries has resulted in R10 billion in additional…
Friday 16 February 2024 – INCREASES in ‘sin’ taxes in next week’s Budget would be a green light for gangsters who are threatening to turn South Africa into a…
It is difficult to overstate the significance of the recent court ruling involving the taxman and some key players in the tobacco industry. Several cigarette companies failed in their…
Tuesday 2 January 2024 - TAX Justice SA (TJSA) welcomes a vital legal breakthrough against the illicit tobacco barons who are stealing billions of rand from South Africa and…
Sunday 26 November 2023 – FURIOUS protesters are demanding greater consultation on the controversial tobacco control bill after hundreds were locked out of a public hearing today. Placard-waving…
Thursday 9 November 2023 – A MAJOR South African gold dealer and key player in the massive 'Gold Mafia' money-laundering network has been sanctioned by the UK government for…
Tuesday 7 November 2023 - TAX Justice SA (TJSA) welcomes an announcement by Sasfin bank that it has laid criminal charges against 11 former employees for their alleged involvement…
Wednesday 17 October 2023 - A MAJOR new report reveals that South Africa’s illicit cigarette trade is even bigger and more destructive than feared - and the Government’s new…
Friday 6 October 2023 – TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) has welcomed Government’s promises of tighter policing at our porous borders but warns that real action is needed to…
Wednesday 27 September 2023 - A DAMNING new report that exposes South Africa as a global hotspot for organised crime must serve as a wake-up call for legislators, law…
By Yusuf Abramjee, founder of Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) Thursday 17 August 2023 Our proposed new tobacco laws have ignited plenty of debate. But whatever side you’re…
Monday 14 August 2023 – A POLICE crackdown on sellers of illicit goods in Johannesburg CBD should be just the first step in an all-out offensive against crimelords who…
Monday 10 July 2023 - THE new tobacco bill will hand complete control of South Africa’s cigarette market to the criminal tobacco barons who are already stealing more than…
Friday 14 April 2023 - EXPLOSIVE new evidence revealed by Al Jazeera today shows that the ‘Gold Leaf Mafia’ was closely aligned with Jacob Zuma and the Guptas and…
Thursday 6 April 2023 – DAMNING new evidence of the international money-laundering network controlled by illicit cigarette kingpin Simon Rudland and his associates is revealed today. The third instalment of…
Thursday 30 March 2023 – SENSATIONAL new evidence is released today showing how some of South Africa’s major banks have been infiltrated and corrupted to help launder billions of…
Thursday 23 March 2023 - SOUTH Africa’s No.1 illicit cigarette kingpin is today sensationally exposed as the mastermind of a multi-billion-dollar gold smuggling network in collusion with the corrupt…
Wednesday February 22 2023 - TAX Justice SA (TJSA) is calling for more action against illicit trade after today’s Budget exposed Government’s inability to tackle the menace that is…
Monday 20 February 2023 - Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana must use his Budget statement to properly empower prosecuting authorities so they can combat criminals in illicit trade who are…
Thursday 9 February 2023 - A STARK warning about the organised crime gangs who are looting our nation and threatening the future of every South African is issued today…
Wednesday February 1 2023 - A MAJOR new offensive against organised crime networks looting South Africa launched today as the High Court extended an order freezing the assets of…
Monday January 30 2023 - COPS caught allegedly escorting a huge shipment of illicit cigarettes on Monday prove that authorities have lost control and some police are colluding with…
Wednesday 9 November, 2022 - DAMNING new evidence shows criminals are tightening their grip on South Africa’s cigarette trade and only drastic, emergency action can halt them looting billions…
Thursday 27 October, 2022 – A MASSIVE bust of smuggled tobacco being offloaded on the East Rand is proof that criminals are still trying to operate illegal cigarette factories…
Thursday 20 October, 2022 – TAX Justice SA (TJSA) welcomes today’s long-needed police action against illicit trade in Cape Town and urges authorities to extend the crackdown nationwide. “It’s…
Sunday 11 September, 2022 – CORRUPTION busters must guard against complacency in the fight against South Africa’s rampant illicit cigarette trade despite a landmark legal breakthrough, Tax Justice SA…
Friday 26 August, 2022 – A HIGH Court preservation order against Gold Leaf Tobacco Corporation (GLTC) is a watershed moment in the battle against organised crime groups who are…
Monday 15 August, 2022 – MINISTERS must heed demands by crime-fighting agencies for more tools to investigate unexplained wealth if we hope to stop the industrial-scale looting of our…
Thursday 16 June, 2022 - A THREAT by the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) to sue Government for damages over the unlawful ban on lockdown sales is an…
Tuesday 14 June, 2022 – Tax Justice SA (TJSA) is today urging Government to impose emergency sanctions to halt transnational organised crime groups stripping South Africa’s assets and infrastructure.…
Tuesday,14 June, 2022 – Today’s Supreme Court of Appeal ruling confirms that the lockdown tobacco ban was both illegal and unnecessary and imposes on Government a duty to urgently…
Thursday 5 May, 2022 - CALLS to hike cigarette ‘sin’ taxes risk backfiring badly and simply boosting the fortunes of criminal manufacturers who are already stealing R19 billion a…
Tuesday 3 May, 2022 - ONLY criminal prosecutions can stop tobacco tax cheats robbing millions of South Africans of the chance to escape poverty and disaster, Tax Justice SA…
Friday 8 April, 2022 – Tax Justice SA (TJSA) today welcomes revelations that the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has launched a concerted campaign against major tax cheats looting…
Thursday 7 April, 2022 - A DAMNING new report shows authorities are losing the fight against criminals who are flooding shops with illegal cigarettes and robbing South Africa of…
Thursday 24 February 2022 – THE Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) must be made to answer urgent questions following the Finance Minister’s revelations about the illicit cigarette trade, Tax…
Wednesday 23 February 2022 – FINANCE Minister Enoch Godongwana’s big hike in sin taxes means another big payday for criminals in illicit trade and more misery and suffering for legitimate…
Monday 14 February 2022 - A POWERFUL national task force to tackle the out-of-control illegal trade in cigarettes must be established immediately, Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) demanded today.The…
Wednesday 8 December 2021 - TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) today applauds the jailing of a company boss convicted of an R18 million cigarette tax scam and urges authorities…
Wednesday 17 November 2021 - TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) is demanding that all tobacco firms sign up to its new charter to defeat the rampant illicit cigarette trade that’s…
Tuesday 16 November 2021 - AN EXPLOSIVE new undercover investigation by Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) shows that criminal manufacturers are flooding shops with tax-evading cigarettes and looting the…
Tuesday 9 November 2021 – DAMNING new research shows authorities are failing miserably to stop illicit cigarettes flooding the country and robbing us of billions of rand, Tax Justice…
Friday September 17 2021 – DEMANDS for an inquiry into the South African tobacco industry have grown even more urgent today following the revelation that the SA Revenue Service…
Thursday 29 July 2021 - HUGE hikes in ‘sin’ taxes on alcohol and tobacco are a gift for criminals in illegal trade and will deliver another lethal blow to…
Sunday 11 July 2021 - CRIMINAL cigarette manufacturers are mocking justice by paying lip service to the tax laws as illicit tobacco floods the country, Tax Justice SA (TJSA)…
The following statement is issued by the South Africa Tobacco Transformation Alliance (SATTA), which represents the legal tobacco value chain. Illegal cigarette manufacturers are sucking the lifeblood out of…
Wednesday 28 April 2021 - THE explosion in illicit trade caused by South Africa’s lockdown bans on alcohol and cigarettes has grabbed the attention of the world. Major international…
Sunday 18 April 2021 - COPS have seized a massive truckload of illegal cigarettes from Zimbabwe, giving yet more proof of the full-scale price war raging between criminal operators…
Monday 12 April 2021 - GOVERNMENT policy has fuelled a massive explosion in South Africa’s illicit cigarette trade that is laid bare in a damning new report published today.…
Tuesday 9 March 2021 - EVERY tobacco company in the country should submit to a comprehensive official investigation in the wake of a damning new report that shows South…
Thursday 4 March 2021 – THE four suspects bust with fake Covid-19 vaccines in Gauteng must face the harshest jail terms, according to Tax Justice SA (TJSA). “Criminals exploiting…
Wednesday 24 February 2021 - FINANCE Minister Tito Mboweni’s big hike in sin taxes is another gift to criminals in illicit trade and another blow to legitimate tax-paying businesses…
Thursday 18 February 2021 - THE illicit cigarette trade is out of control in South Africa and tackling it should become a “national priority”, according to an important new…
Wednesday 17 February 2021 - ANY increase in ‘sin’ taxes in the annual Budget next week would backfire badly by enriching criminals in illicit trade, destroying livelihoods and even…
Friday 12 February 2021 - AN EXPLOSIVE new investigation has revealed how South Africa’s illicit cigarette kingpins are deeply entrenched in politically-connected cartels looting state coffers on both sides…
Friday 22 January 2021 – THE Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) and its breakaway member Gold Leaf Tobacco (GLTC) must sign up to the war against illicit cigarettes that…
Thursday 21 January 2021 - TAX Justice SA (TJSA) today launches a five-point action plan to stop criminals in the illicit cigarette trade looting billions of rand needed to…
Wednesday 20 January 2021 - A BOMBSHELL exposé by Tax Justice SA (TJSA) has blown the illicit cigarette trade wide open and revealed the biggest and most brazen black…
Tuesday 15 December 2020 – CRIMINALS are laughing at the law as they rob billions from decent South Africans by selling illicit cigarettes in the world’s biggest black market.…
Friday 11 December 2020 – THE HIGH Court’s landmark judgment that the lockdown tobacco ban was unconstitutional and not necessary compels authorities to now crack down on the criminals…
Wednesday 9 December 2020 - AN URGENT investigation into smuggling at our porous borders is needed to stop criminals looting South Africa of millions every day, Tax Justice SA…
Friday 16 October 2020 – PRESIDENT Ramaphosa’s promised crackdown on the illicit economy should start with an investigation into the illegal activities of cigarette giant Gold Leaf Tobacco (GLTC)…
Thursday 1 October 2020 - POLICE, tax officers and trade regulators should conduct a full investigation into the activities of the Gold Leaf Tobacco Corporation (GLTC) following its fallout…
Monday 14 September 2020 – TAX Justice SA (TJSA) welcomes an investigation by the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) into sales tactics by its member Gold Leaf Tobacco Corporation…
Sunday 13 September 2020 – AN INVESTIGATION by Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) today exposes the dodgy tactics still being used by the biggest beneficiaries of the lockdown’s illegal…
Tuesday 8 September 2020 – ORGANISED crime syndicates are using gangland tactics to retain control of the cigarette trade they captured during the lockdown sales ban, Tax Justice South…
Saturday 15 August 2020 – THE long overdue lifting of South Africa’s lockdown prohibition must be accompanied by an urgent crackdown on the crooks it has enriched through illegal…
Friday 14 August 2020 – URGENT action is needed to tackle the corrupt syndicates who have grabbed control of the cigarette market during the 20-week sales ban, Tax Justice…
Thursday 6 August 2020 – PRESIDENT Ramaphosa should do the right thing and immediately lift the tobacco ban after the High Court reserved judgment following the Government’s laboured defence…
Tuesday 4 August 2020 – THE nation stands at a watershed moment with huge implications for the rule of law, our ailing economy and South Africans’ right to make…
Sunday 2 August 2020 – Tax Justice SA (TJSA) has written a letter to President Ramaphosa pleading with him to lift the tobacco ban as court papers emerge destroying…
Tuesday 21 July 2020 - THE tobacco ban lies in ruins this lunchtime after a new report destroyed the government’s reasons for the sales prohibition. The latest report by…
Sunday 19 July 2020 – CHILDREN are starving and livelihoods are being destroyed as the Government ignores science and pushes ahead with a prohibition that is turning criminals into…
Friday 17 July 2020 - TAX Justice SA (TJSA) is calling for an immediate lifting of the tobacco ban after a leading Government scientist today admitted there was “no…
Prohibition is enriching gangsters while robbing the nation is vital funds - by Yusuf Abramjee, 13 July 2020
Sunday 5 July 2020 – Tax Justice SA (TJSA) today welcomes an open letter to President Ramaphosa and his Cabinet in which tobacco industry players and retail outlets highlight…
Friday 26 June 2020 – Tax Justice SA (TJSA) today accuses Government of “running away from justice” and “destroying lives even when retreating” by delaying an urgent application to…
Tuesday 2 June 2020 – TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) tonight welcomes the High Court judgment declaring lockdown regulations invalid and unconstitutional and urges the Presidency to lift the…
Monday 1 June 2020 – TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) has welcomed the Presidency’s call for “economic patriotism” and urged for this to begin with a crackdown on the…
Tuesday 26 May 2020 – THE irrational and unworkable ban on cigarettes is helping the architects and agents of State Capture to evade justice. Tax Justice SA founder Yusuf…
Sunday 24 May 2020 – THE extension to the cigarette ban is a green light for criminals to continue looting South Africa at the expense of decent citizens’ lives,…
Saturday 16 May 2020 – A MAJOR new study by the University of Cape Town (UCT) shows that almost all smokers have been able to buy cigarettes during lockdown…
Wednesday 13 May 2020 – OFFICIAL government research shows that the lockdown ban on cigarettes is needlessly exposing millions of South Africans to the spread of Covid-19. Tax Justice…
Thursday 7 May 2020 - Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) is calling on citizens and law enforcers to be on their guard against criminals dealing in fake health products…
Wednesday 29 April 2020 - TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) condemns tonight’s announcement of an extension to the cigarette ban as “life-endangering economic sabotage”. TJSA founder Yusuf Abramjee says:…
Monday 27 April 2020 – TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) is urging law-abiding citizens to join the fight against criminals looting our nation when cigarettes go back on sale…
Friday 24 April 2020 – Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) today welcomes the Presidency’s announcement of the easing of lockdown rules to resuscitate the nation’s economy. TJSA founder Yusuf…
Wednesday 22 April 2020 – TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) today urges the President to immediately kickstart the economy before his R500 billion rescue package lands South Africans with…
Tuesday 21 April 2020 – Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) eagerly anticipates the Presidency’s announcement of coronavirus crisis relief measures tonight and urges bold steps be taken to protect…
Sunday 19 April 2020 – TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) today urges Government to heed growing calls for a review of the “nonsensical” and “draconian” ban on cigarettes that…
Tuesday 7 April 2020 – THE lockdown ban on cigarettes is backfiring badly and endangering millions of South Africans it is supposed to protect, Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA)…
The cigarette ban is backfiring as the country loses money needed to fight the coronavirus - by Yusuf Abramjee, 09 April 2020
Thursday 2 April 2020 – TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) today welcomes the lifting of the lockdown ban on cigarettes sales in the Western Cape as a vital step…
Sunday 29 March 2020 - THE ban on the sale of specific goods during the coronavirus lockdown threatens to spread the virus and fuel illicit trade, Tax Justice South…
Country losing R100 billion a year, which could be used to improve social services for all - by Yusuf Abramjee, 11 March 2020 WE’VE all heard the argument that…
Monday 2 March 2020 - TAX Justice South Africa (TJSA) today called for bold new measures to urgently tackle the menace of illicit trade that is costing the nation…
We do not envy the job you have in delivering the Budget on Wednesday. Record unemployment, a stagnant economy and the growing prospect of a ratings downgrade: could the…
The day I heard the desperation of a nation living in fear - by Yusuf Abramjee, 01 February 2020
A PLEDGE by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to crack down on the illicit economy is hailed today by Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA) as an important first…
A radical reform of the law is needed to ensure that crooks stealing billions of rand in taxes every year are sent to jail, Tax Justice South Africa (TJSA)…
Versions published in the Cape Times, the Mercury and Pretoria News. 11 December 2019 - We are the victims of tax criminals and it’s time we blew the whistle,…
A TAX revolt is not the answer to the corruption and criminality that is crippling South Africa’s economy, anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee said on Wednesday.
IT IS time for ordinary citizens to join the fight against criminals who are looting South Africa of R100 million every day, anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee said on Monday.
Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee officially announced the establishment of TJSA on Monday by declaring war on the crooks who are robbing South Africa of tens of billions of rands…
Despite how hard it is to balance our budgets, the law-abiding among us know it’s only right that we pay what we owe to the state in order to…
ANTI-CRIME activist Yusuf Abramjee has backed Finance Minister Tito Mboweni in his support for SARS having an “intrusive” investigating unit.
Anti-crime activist declares war on tax crooks at the launch of a new campaign to lock up the criminals who loot South Africa of more than R100m every day.…