FITA welcomes court ruling barring SARS from installing CCTV cameras in warehouses

JOHANNESBURG - The Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) has welcomed a High Court interdict barring the South African Revenue Service (SARS) from installing CCTV cameras at tobacco-manufacturing warehouses.
 
In 2022, a new rule allowing for this kind of surveillance was introduced to curb illicit activity in the industry.
 
But in a ruling handed down on Wednesday, the High Court in Pretoria has now put their implementation thereof on ice, pending an application to have it reviewed and set aside.
 
The ruling comes on the back of an application from FITA, together with a number of tobacco manufacturers.
 
"We had of course opposed the implementation of the rule amendment on the basis that it was unconstitutional in that it invaded the right to privacy and the right to property. And ultimately, we are quite happy that the court ruled in our favour," said the association’s Sinenhlanhla Mnguni.
 
Mnguni emphasised that this is not the end of the road, with the main application still to be heard.