Tobacco Control in Africa - TCA

Kenya: What is it like to be a pregnant woman farming tobacco?

A short video by Marty Otanez. Produced with the support of Women for Justice in Africa and the International Labor Rights Forum.

RDC, Rwanda, South Africa: Mastermind Tobacco CEO accused of evading taxes and financing the war

Several sources, including the latest UN report on the war in the DRC on 10 December 2008 (S/2008/773) have provided evidence that Mastermind CEO, Tribert Ayabatwa Rujiguro has been in touch with rebels involved in the war in DRC.

In all reports, the president of the Master Mind Group, of which Congo Tobacco Company (CTC), based in Goma (East of DRC) and producer of cigarettes Super Match is a subsidiary, is named.

Following a complaint by the authorities of South Africa, the president of the industry that produces the Super Match cigarette in Goma, was arrested in early November in London on the basis of an arrest warrant for "tax evasion" issued by South Africa.

If the judicial procedure followed its normal course, he should be extradited to South Africa to stand trial.
The South Africans would have seized as a precaution a few valuable assets belonging to Master Mind, including an aircraft, houses, vehicles and cash in cash with a value of 58 million rands.

Referring to the Master Mind Group, the Ugandan weekly "The East African" noted in its issue on 5 December 2005 through the "Industry moves to stub out illicit cigarette trade," that this group is the subject of a thorough investigation by Interpol because the manufacturer is considered as the most involved in the fraud that exists in the DRC, Kenya and Uganda.

According to information from Bandundu,one of 11 province of DRC, for more than three years, the company has used false statements of the provincial tax by falsifying documents and declaring in sales and receptions Super Match cigarettes in the province of Bandundu. Worse, it would pay its way or not to pay the provincial tax altogether. According to the governorate of Bandundu, which has in its sights CTC, it has never paid even 10% of what it owed to the province. That, at least, gives a total minimum of U.S. $ 157,000 (One hundred fifty-seven thousand dollars U.S.) as a loss to the province over a period of three years. This, in turn, enabled him to make a huge profit, and maintain prices at the stem of his cigarette to 10 Congolese Franc from 2003 to 2007 despite all the fluctuations in that country (U.S. $ 1 was equal 500 Congolese Francs in 2007).

RDC, Rwanda, Afrique du Sud: Mastermind accusé de fraude fiscale et impliqué dans le financement de la guerre

Patrick Musavuli a communiqué ce dossier sur le Groupe Mastermind et son dirigeant Tribert Rujugiro, proche conseiller du Président Kagame.

Plusieurs sources dont  le dernier rapport des nations unies sur la guerre en RDC du 10 décembre 2008 (S/2008/773) ont fourni des preuves que le dirigeant du Groupe Mastermind qui comprend la Congo Tobacco Company basée à Goma entretient la guerre en RDC et est donc de ce fait responsable des centaines de milliers des déplacés de guerre avec comme conséquences l'insécurité, les violences faites aux femmes et aux enfants, la recrudescence des épidémies tel que le choléra, des centaines des morts.