British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) said on Friday it was commencing urgent legal proceedings to challenge the government's decision to extend the ban on tobacco sales. BATSA, which sells brands such as Dunhill, Camel and Lucky Strike, has said the ban could boost illicit trade in tobacco as smokers were more likely to buy from underground traders. The ban was "robbing the government of much needed excise tax contributions … and threatening thousands of jobs," the company said in a statement. BATSA is the leading tobacco manufacturer in South Africa with 78% market share of the legal cigarette market. Advertisement Japan Tobacco International, another multinational in South Arica, groups of farmers, retailers and consumers are also part of the legal challenge, BATSA said.