Tobacco trial: Dlamini-Zuma's lawyer and impatient judge clash

- The Pretoria High Court has wrapped up proceedings in the tobacco ban legal battle

- The first day of proceedings got off to a rocky start on Wednesday with Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's attorney issued with a warning

- Judge President Mlambo made it clear that Advocate Moerane was 'testing his patience'

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South Africa watched eagerly as the first day of proceedings in the tobacco ban trial kicked off.

Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was accused of arrogantly pulling tobacco off of shelves under the disguise of the Covid-19 pandemic, Briefly.co.za reported.

Advocate Marumo Moerane came to his client's defence, adamant that the minister had acted on 'probable science', due to the urgent nature of the response to the virus.

Moerane put forward that his client would have been forced to make the call, without the luxury of time to hesitate:

“We don’t have the luxury of having inquiries that will take time and consume resources of the state. Actions have to be taken on the basis of what is known. The state must be guided on what science says is probable. We are dealing with a new [pandemic] which is ravaging, not only this country, but the whole world.”

READ ALSO: Heated battle over tobacco ban sees FITA and Dlamini-Zuma facing off

Judge President Mlambo had evidently not been impressed with Moerane's defence, clashing with the advocate and warning him that:

“You are testing my patience. Don’t tell us to read, make your submission and counter them but not by making us read.”

The South African revealed that the final judgment on this controversial matter will not be shared in open court.

With the nation's smokers awaiting clarity over this issue, it remains unclear when this pressing and time-sensitive matter will be resolved.

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Source: Briefly News