Latest News

Contract Type: Fixed Term (2 Years), renewable subject to performance and funding availability. Application Deadline: Sunday, 15th November 2026 The National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Programme Director to lead and manage its operational functions and play a critical role in implementing its strategic goals. This senior-level position supports the Executive Director and works closely with internal teams and external partners

Professor Lekan Ayo-Yusuf highlights how the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index helps identify and address tobacco industry influence on public health policies, emphasising the importance of implementing Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control across all government departments to promote transparency and accountability and protect public health policymaking from tobacco industry interference. Click the link to watch more: #globaltobaccoindex #pr

A recap of September 2026 September brought a range of tobacco-control activities, from taking information and cessation support directly to communities through NCAS’s provincial roadshows, to sharing the latest news and research, and encouraging collective action through advocacy. Know the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control bill roadshow The National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) commenced its roadshow, reaching communities in provinces identified thro

A recap of August 2026 August brought important developments in tobacco control, from Parliament’s progress on the Tobacco bill to emerging research on youth vaping, illicit trade and industry influence. Tobacco Control bill enters the next stage: Will its protections hold? Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health adopted the Motion of Desirability for the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, with 10 of 11 members voting in favour, moving into it

A recap of July 2026 July marked meaningful progress in Tobacco Control. From advancing research and strengthening advocacy across Africa to exposing industry tactics, our newsletter highlights the importance of evidence, collaboration, and sustained action to protect present and future generations from the harms of tobacco and nicotine. NCAS supported ATIM at the University of Pretoria School of Public Health Research Day The National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) support

Author: Ms Lungile Mavundla For decades, public health advocates celebrated major victories against smoking in South Africa. Strict tobacco control laws reduced cigarette advertising, smoking became less socially acceptable, and younger generations increasingly understood the dangers of tobacco use. But the tobacco industry did not disappear. Instead, it reinvented itself. Today, many South African schools no longer smell of cigarette smoke. Instead, school bathrooms and

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognised Professor Olalekan Ayo-Yusuf among the recipients of the 2026 World No Tobacco Day Awards for the WHO African Region. Professor Ayo-Yusuf serves as Executive Director of the National Council Against Smoking and is widely recognised for his longstanding contributions to tobacco control research, public health advocacy, health systems strengthening, and policy development in South Africa and across the African region. The annua

This November reminded us that tobacco control requires both local and global intervention to protect public health from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. COP11 advanced bold public health commitments, while the findings from the Africa TII Index highlighted industry tactics that continue to evolve. Prioritising the processing of the tobacco control bill remains key for stronger national response. South Africa at COP11: Advancing Global Tobacco Control A delegat

In the late 1990s, South Africa banned all tobacco advertising. No more did cigarettes appear on billboards or in newspapers and magazines; they weren’t allowed airtime on radio or TV, and tobacco sponsorships were taboo. It helped to cut smoking from 32% to 24% by 2003 , a decade after the country first introduced tobacco control laws. But 20 years later, South Africa isn’t the public health darling it once was, and the proportion of adults smoking has stagnated at around

NCAS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER October recap: From awareness to action. This October, NCAS spotlights how tobacco companies use influencers to mislead the public, while vaping continues to infiltrate schools. As debates around the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill intensify, NCAS calls for stronger action to protect youth and close policy gaps. From exposing industry spin to building advocacy capacity across Africa, the push for a truly smoke-free future

Fresh Perspectives, Policy News and Research Insights! This month, action and advocacy took center stage! South Africa’s Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery System Control Bill, gained strong support, a Mpumalanga shop was fined R600,000 for selling illicit cigarettes, youth vaping in Singapore and tobacco use in Zambia draw urgent attention, and a call to apply for the WHO FCTC Youth Photography Contest, which challenges young people worldwide to expose industry tricks

This month, we are shining the spotlight on a recent South African study about the rise of youth vaping which is driven by sweet flavours and advertising tactics targeted at young people. We’re also excited to introduce the launch of a powerful campaign by Protect Our Next which is already turning heads. The People vs Big Tobacco campaign kicked off with a Underage Vaping “Crime Scene” Activation. A bold, thought-provoking campaign that exposes the harsh realities of youth va

31 December 2024 Media Release For Immediate Release Quitting Smoking Saves Lives: New Research Reveals that Smoking just one cigarette...

Welcome to the NCAS Monthly Bulletin for June 2024, your comprehensive update on tobacco control efforts and developments in South Africa...

NDoH launches the full report for of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) South Africa The National Department of Health (NDoH)...

The SA Pharmacy Council (SAPC) has moved to ban the sale of e-cigarettes in pharmacies to the dismay of the vaping industry, which has...

This World No Tobacco Month, NCAS hosted a Hookah Epidemic Workshop Addressing The Rise of Youth Smoking. As organisations in tobacco...

Media Release - May 31, 2024 National Council Against Smoking (NCAS), Johannesburg, South Africa For Immediate Release Today, May 31st,...

As part of our ongoing dedication to sharing information and encouraging informed discussions within the tobacco control community, we...

Cigarette filters are among the most littered plastic items on earth, with an astonishing 4.5 trillion cigarette butts littered on...