19 August 2026
Community organisation amandla.mobi has condemned business lobbyists for undermining governance and democracy. The organisation today released a lobbying workshop presentation delivered to Business Unity South Africa in 2024. The presentation by Thompson Trust boasts that its lobbying in Parliament successfully delayed tobacco-control and alcohol legislation.
“Every one of us should be alarmed that business lobbyists have delayed important public health legislation. Next time you are in public and see a young person puffing on a vape, or a billboard for alcohol, remember that both would have been banned years ago, if it wasn’t for business lobbyists,” says Koketso Moeti, amandla.mobi Executive Director.
The business lobbying presentation to BUSA mentions work for South African Breweries, which included “Successfully lobbied for the exclusion of the Liquor Amendment Bill from the priority list of legislation for 2022/2023.” While lobbying done for Phillip Morris influenced the text adopted at the ANC Elective Conference in December 2022.
Business lobbying has been in the spotlight recently, with the scandal involving Tony Leon’s Resolve Communications agency, which allegedly secured access to Ministers for business clients. Highlighting how business interests influence government.
amandla.mobi’s release of the lobbying presentation made to BUSA may shed some light on why certain legislation has been stuck in parliament for over half a decade. The draft Liquor Amendment Bill was presented back in 2016, while the draft of the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill was presented to Parliament in 2018. Recently, Business Day reported a big win for big tobacco in South Africa, with Parliament’s health committee planning to water down the draft Tobacco Products and Electronic Systems Control Bill. BUSA has previously opposed both the Liquor Amendment Bill and the Tobacco Control Bill.
Researchers have found evidence that the tobacco industry in South Africa has used a wide range of tactics to influence tobacco control policy. According to University of Bath researchers, “Tactics included funding campaigns that exaggerated potential job losses and illicit trade, surveys that compared public support for measures in the Bill to public support for addressing other health topics”
“Our democratic institutions are under threat from the kind of business lobbying services Business Unity South Africa has presented to its members. It may not be illegal for businesses to lobby Parliament, but we refuse to stand by and watch elected officials put business profits before the public good,” Moeti said.
This is not the first time amandla.mobi has raised concerns about big business influence. In 2022, the organisation launched a campaign calling for an end to closed-door meetings between business and decision-makers, including elected officials.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Koketso Moeti, [email protected] 082 583 5869
amandla.mobi is a community organisation that works with members of our movement to run advocacy campaigns using petitions, public comments, demonstrations and other tactics to hold Ministers, CEO’s and other decision-makers accountable. Together amandla.mobi amplifies the voices of the people, especially those who are most impacted by injustice: low-income Black women.