South Africa Mandates Track and Trace Codes
New regulations cover tobacco, liquor, pharmaceuticals, food and appliances to curb illicit trade.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in International Trade
Live Poll
Do you trust the products you buy in South African shops to be genuine and safe?
South Africa's department of trade, industry and competition published regulations on Thursday requiring machine-readable track and trace codes for tobacco, liquor, pharmaceuticals, food and appliances. The system will be put in place next year.
Why it matters
Illegal trade costs South Africa R100bn a year, according to SARS, and British American Tobacco says it is unpersuaded that enough has been done to stem illicit cigarettes. The regulations aim to link each unit to its origin and ownership to make illicit goods easier to identify.
The R100bn annual cost of illegal trade is an estimate from SARS, while the R193bn in displaced production and 87,500 lost direct jobs come from Econometrix research across 12 sectors. The source does not indicate how these estimates will change once the system is in place.
The players
British American Tobacco
A multinational tobacco company listed in London that has said it is unpersuaded the government has taken enough steps to stem illicit cigarettes.
National Consumer Commission
The South African regulator that will oversee the national track and trace repository and grant controlled access to enforcement agencies.
South African Revenue Service (SARS)
South Africa's national tax authority, which estimates that illegal trade costs the country R100bn a year.
The details
Manufacturers and importers must assign a machine-readable code to each unit produced and sold, and legal players must register each code and its details with the National Consumer Commission. The commission will oversee a national track and trace repository and may grant controlled access to the police, SARS, the Border Management Authority, the department of health, SAHPRA and the NRCS.
Timeline
Regulations were published on Thursday, 12 November 2026.
British American Tobacco announced in January 2026 that it would close its only remaining South African cigarette factory.
The factory closure is scheduled for year-end 2026.
The track and trace system will be put in place in 2027.
Market Dynamics
South Africa's regulations follow the European Union's track and trace model, which the source says has tracked 53 billion products across 810,000 economic operators and 1.5 million facilities in 27 member states over its first two years. The approach applies that tracking logic to a wider set of products than the EU system covers in the source.
For businesses in tobacco, liquor, pharmaceuticals, food and appliances, the new rules will require registering each unit's code with the National Consumer Commission before sale. Consumers may see a change in how regulated products are verified, though the source does not specify pricing effects.
The takeaway
Businesses that import or manufacture regulated goods should prepare to register unique codes for each unit sold. The 2027 rollout gives companies time to align their systems before enforcement begins.
What happens next
The track and trace system is scheduled to be put in place in 2027, and British American Tobacco's factory closes at year-end 2026.
Further reading
For broader context on cross-border commerce, explore International Trade coverage.
Live Poll
Do you trust the products you buy in South African shops to be genuine and safe?
