South Africa: e-cigarette regulation, July 2025

Vapour products with and without nicotine are not regulated under any product-specific laws.

Although progress on the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill (the Tobacco Bill) to regulate nicotine-containing and nicotine-free e-cigarettes has been slow – mainly due to deliberations and disagreements among stakeholders – the likelihood that the bill will be enacted is fairly high. The Tobacco Bill is likely to be adopted, driven by strong governmental and public health imperatives, with final enactment possibly by mid-2026.

The bill intentionally treats electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS) with largely the same regulatory measures as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), particularly concerning advertising, sales restrictions, packaging, and manufacturing standards.

This report provides detailed analysis of the regulatory framework in place in South Africa for e-cigarettes, covering all policy areas.