A month-long investigation by the GO!&Express has revealed just how easy it is for pupils to get hooked on nicotine as many shops across the city are selling vapes without asking for any form of ID.
Vapes, or e-cigarettes, are battery-operated devices that deliver nicotine, flavourings, and chemicals in an aerosol. Vapes are addictive due to the presence of nicotine.
Introduced to SA in 2014, they retail from R80 to more than R4,000, depending on features.
They are widely available at smoke shops, supermarkets, fuel stops and informal (spaza shops). Their sale remains unregulated as parliament is yet to pass the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill of 2022, however retailers cannot sell these products to under-18s.
Earlier this year GO!&Express found that despite this age restriction, East London pupils, even as young as grade 4 are using vapes — leaving teachers battling nicotine-fueled behavioural disruptions in class.
To investigate the accessibility of vapes for minors, the GO!&Express team visited 10 outlets selling vapes between June 6-21. These included smoke shops, big chain supermarkets, fuel stops and spaza shops in Beacon Bay, Hemingways Mall, Vincent, Nahoon and Buffalo Flats.
At every outlet we enquired if any form of identification like ID’s would be needed to purchase a vape and only two said yes.
The remaining outlets, including two well-known supermarkets in Hemingways Mall and Beacon Bay Retail Park, and a popular smoke shop with two branches in the city, said no.
One spaza shop owner in Nahoon on Beach Road joked: “We won’t ask you for ID just don’t tell your parents you got it from this shop.”
On June 21, the GO!&Express team accompanied a 17-year-old minor to a shop on Boeing Road in Buffalo Flats to buy a vape. This was done to test whether the products age restrictions are being upheld at municipal by-law regulated spaza shops. The sale of the vape retailing at R190 was concluded in less than two minutes and the shop owner not once asked the minor for proof she was over 18.
The minor told the GO!&Express: “My friends buy from this shop all the time and most of them are between the ages of 15-18. They would rather choose to buy the vape over cigarettes.
“I know children as young as 13 smoking vapes and it’s an everyday occurrence because they can get it from this shop [on Boeing Road].
Another pupil, 17, from Mdantsane who uses vapes regularly told GO!&Express: “We have access to vapes through local shops or garages.”
The department of health (DoH) is concerned that the slow pace of the Tobacco Bill’s passing means there are loopholes that can be exploited where retailers lack the incentive and obligation to restrict access and sale of vapes to minors.
The DoH is also concerned about the rise in sales of vapes online through food delivery services as these platforms have no reliable way to verify the buyer’s age.
DoH’s spokesperson Foster Mohale said: “While nothing prevents shops from voluntarily refusing to sell to minors, they cannot be legally punished as the products are currently not covered by the existing legislation.
“Self-regulation can work in principle but it is challenged by commercial interests. Once the Tobacco Bill becomes law there will be clear legal accountability for both the sellers and suppliers of these products. The bill also indicates that vape sales near schools or places of education will be prohibited.
“It [the bill] also broadens the category of law enforcement officers who will be empowered to monitor and enforce compliance including members of SAPS, municipal police, traffic officers and port and border officials.”
Pick n Pay told the GO!&Express that its staff has been trained to check for IDs if they doubted a customer’s age.
In a statement, the Pick n Pay national said
: “All vape products are kept behind a kiosk, and staff must request valid ID if a customer’s age is in doubt. Following the investigation by GO!&Express, an additional reminder has been sent to stores to practice extra vigilance with younger customers.”
In a statement to GO!&Express, Shoprite Checkers Group said: “We take our legal and ethical obligation to prevent the sale of age-restricted products to minors extremely seriously. All supermarket employees undergo compulsory training to ensure they understand the law and apply it correctly in-store. These procedures are regularly reinforced.
“We remain committed to protecting the wellbeing of youth and upholding the law in every store.”
Schools in the city such as Hudson Park High School and Stirling High School are urging businesses and authorities to increase their commitment to self-regulation.
Hudson High’s head of discipline, Sipe Matefeni, said there had been incidences of vaping at school including repeated offences and attempts to conceal contraband.
He added: “We conduct regular checks of pupils and their possessions.”
Stirling High only allows one pupil per class to leave for the bathroom at a time to mitigate incidences of pupils gathering to smoke in bathrooms.
The school said: “A small group of parents exhibit poor parenting skills and allow their children to vape at home, even purchasing vapes for their children as parents vape themselves.
“We would like to see SAPS monitoring and fining vape outlets for selling vapes to school children.”
