Smoke: where to smoke and not to smoke
That is the burning question that has the normally tight community of Hoedspruit split down the middle.
The controversial smoking legislation for restaurants and other public places only now seems to hit home at Hoedspruit’s variety of mostly open air pubs and restaurants.
A quick, informal survey by the HOEDSPRUIT HERALD seems to indicate that not a single pub or restaurant in this region complies with legislation.
One irate non smoker, who asked to remain anonymous, told the HERALD that the root of the problem lies in the fact that virtually all the restaurant and pub owners are smokers themselves.
Two restaurant owners said they are already struggling to keep their doors open and if they had to strictly adhere to smoking legislation they would probably have to close down.
Hoedspruit is predominantly a tourism town and pubs and restaurants rely heavily on the thousands of tourists who visit a variety of game farms in the area and the Kruger National Park.
One senior Hoedspruit resident, who also asked not to be named, said that he stopped visiting local pubs and restaurants because smokers have preference and smoke virtually anywhere they liked.
South Africa became one of the first countries in the world to ban smoking in public places in 2000 when it introduced its Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act.
The act put a serious dent in the smoking culture in South Africa, as it prohibited smoking in restaurants, pubs, shopping centres and offices where there was no separate, enclosed smoking room.
The South African smoking laws were tightened even further in 2009 when the government banned smoking in partially enclosed public places such as covered patios, verandas, balconies, walkways and parking areas, as well as smoking in cars where there were children under the age of 12 present.
Children under the age of 18 were also prohibited from entering designated smoking areas and purchasing cigarettes.
There are stiff penalties associated with anti-smoking legislation in South Africa, including hefty fines for both the smoker and venue operator.
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