HARARE – Pacific Cigarette Company has raised strong objections to a newspaper report linking it to smuggled cigarettes that were intercepted in South Africa.
The Harare headquartered company which exports to several African countries issued a statement Monday criticising a report in the NewsDay newspaper which said South African police had intercepted banned skin creams, mining explosives and cigarettes of the Pacific brand in separate operations.
The total cost of the recovered goods was R19.2 million, although only R500,000 of that was cigarettes.
Pacific said it does not “condone in any manner the smuggling of any goods as this prejudices state revenue collection and in turn, national development.”
“The mischievous and disproportionate mention of Pacific Cigarettes in a matter whose value of the products are a drop in the ocean compared to the gross value of the entire contraband seeks to imply to readers and our customers that we are engaged in smuggling,” the company said.
“Pacific Cigarette Company is widely known for bringing pleasure to its customers through its readily available premium tobacco cigarettes made from quality Zimbabwe-grown tobacco. As such, it cannot and should not be associated with the manufacturing and/or trade of skin creams and explosives, whether illicit or otherwise.
“The linking of our brand to arms smuggling, whether deliberate or accidental, causes unjustified prejudice to the many Pan-African markets we are operating in and who enjoy our products.”
Here is the full statement by Pacific Cigarette Company:
‘R19.2m Zim contraband intercepted in SA’
Our attention has been drawn to a NewsDay press article dated 14th of February 2020, captioned “R19,2m Zim contraband intercepted in SA”, that refers to the arrest of third parties who were found in possession of banned skin creams, Pacific Cigarettes, and in a totally separate case and location, mining explosives.
The unfortunate reporting, however, seems to link the separate stories and we, therefore, reassure our valued customers and stakeholders as follows:
We, Pacific Cigarette Company, a Pan-African cigarette manufacturing entity, do not condone in any manner the smuggling of any goods as this prejudices State revenue collection and in turn, national development. We are pleased that the responsible parties, namely State security organs, are fulfilling their mandate and apprehending those who break the law.
Pacific Cigarette Company’s operations remain lawful in all the African markets in which we are present, directly or indirectly.
We appreciate the media’s role in information dissemination. However, we urge them to exercise restraint and responsibility in their reporting. The story referred to above is unfortunately written in a sensationalised and biased manner that only serves to tarnish the reputation of responsible and patriotic corporate citizens, misinform the general public, and bring into question whose objectives these stories end up serving.
Our view is that, the said Newsday article did not at all demonstrate any attempt at fair reporting to the following extent:
The reported value of the total goods confiscated was approximately ZAR19,2 million. The total value of the cigarettes mentioned was less than ZAR500,000. Why attach so much prominence to Pacific, when they constituted less than 5 percent of the total value of the goods?
The mischievous and disproportionate mention of Pacific Cigarettes in a matter whose value of the products are a drop in the ocean compared to the gross value of the entire contraband seeks to imply to readers and our customers that we are engaged in smuggling.
The article omits to mention by name the identities of the truck drivers who were apparently intercepted smuggling our products. The article mentions three drivers but only informs that two are set to appear in court soon. What happened to the third driver?
The truck owner or trucking company so caught in the act of smuggling is not identified, but the article is quick to mention our brand by name. What is the real objective of this journalistic approach?
The article further irresponsibly conflates the smuggling of cosmetics and cigarettes with the smuggling of explosives, in the same story, thereby running the risk of bringing Pacific Cigarette Company into the purview of national security concerns. We condemn this irresponsibility in the strongest terms, and we cannot help but believe that it is part of a malicious attempt to tarnish the business achievements of African black entrepreneurs.
Pacific Cigarette Company is widely known for bringing pleasure to its customers through its readily available premium tobacco cigarettes made from quality Zimbabwean grown tobacco. As such, it cannot and should not be associated with the manufacturing and/or trade of skin creams and explosives, whether illicit or otherwise.
The linking of our brands to arms smuggling, whether deliberate or accidental, causes unjustified prejudice to:
The many Pan-African markets we are operating in and who enjoy our products.
All our African and international stakeholders who have made it possible for us to successfully challenge the established multi-national cigarette monopolies perpetuating historical exclusionary tactics from this industry.
We urge our customers and stakeholders, including the press, to dismiss any attempts to link Pacific Cigarette Company to the acts of unspecified third parties in the smuggling of cigarettes, cosmetics and arms.
Our truly Pan African success story will inevitably attract ill-informed detractors. However, attacks on us are an attack on the unstoppable evolution of Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector into a Pan-African and world’s premier tobacco hub. Thus, a smear on us is a smear on Africa, its businesses, and by extension all our customers. This is not good for our continent, its businesses, its people, and for all those in Africa who are trying to legitimately take their rightful place in the global economy.
