Dec 11, 2020 Cigarette prices have decreased sharply from their highly inflated levels during the sales ban, but are substantially higher than their pre-lockdown levels. The average retail price of cigarette brands produced by the multinationals is nearly 5% higher than before the sales ban, while the average retail price produced by the local manufacturers is 30% higher. These are some of the findings of a recent study, conducted by the Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP), based at the University of Cape Town (UCT). The research was based on an online survey of nearly 4 000 people, conducted in September 2020. Respondents to the survey had been participants in a previous REEP survey, and were contacted with their consent through social media and Moya, a data-free messaging platform.