\u201cWhy are they making us criminals,\u201d asks a 29-year-old administration manager, who has been smoking for eight years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to a group of smokers, they shed light on what effects the ban has had on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many are fuming after they read that Police Minister Bheki Cele had said those caught buying or selling cigarettes will be prosecuted and, if found guilty, would have a criminal record. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will never quit. Smoking is the only thing keeping me sane,\u201d she says to me while puffing on a cigarette outside her home in a well-to-do neighbourhood of a small mining town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the others are chatting about the old sporting events that are being rebroadcast on TV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their talk suddenly stops when she says: \u201cIf smokers want cigarettes, they will get them. It\u2019s not an impossible task.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 30-something dark-haired man chips in and says they have now resorted to cheap cigarettes because they can no longer afford their preferred brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whereas once this graphic designer could go to the shop around the corner to buy cigarettes, he is now having to do a secret deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His father smokes. His brothers smoke. His mother tried years ago to quit, but it was too hard, he shares. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI started smoking secretly in high school. My parents found out after I matriculated. They didn\u2019t even tell me I can\u2019t smoke. Nobody has a right to tell me what I can put in my body. This is ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He says he is paying R1 300 per carton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s cheap. The ban is making us smoke counterfeits because the real ones are now too expensive,\u201d interrupts his 65-year-old father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ban is excessive, says his wife. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey didn\u2019t even warn us. We weren\u2019t sufficiently prepared and had no time to get a stock\u00adpile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They found sellers through contacts on WhatsApp. If they do not have, they know who does, she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They all agree that the illegal market will possibly cause additional health risks, but it is a risk they are willing to take.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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