23-06-2025
South African taverns and bars voice strong opposition to new anti-smoking regulations
The Department of Health's proposed changes to tobacco laws could see smokers face jail time for smoking entjies and e-cigarettes indoors and failing to adhere to other prohibited smoking legislation.
South African liquor traders have raised serious objections to proposed new smoking legislation that would require significant changes to bars, taverns, and restaurants across the country.
The legislation, currently being processed by the Department of Health, aims to ban the display advertising of tobacco products, standardise packaging, and introduce stricter controls on e-cigarettes and vaping.
While the proposed changes affect the wider hospitality industry, including the ban on vending machines, the biggest challenge lies in where people can smoke.
Under the new Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, smoking would be outlawed indoors and in certain public spaces, forcing patrons to move outside.
New regulations also stipulate that designated smoking areas must be located a specific distance from windows, ventilation points, and entryways.
The Gauteng Liquor Traders Association (GLTA) expressed concern that this requirement would be completely unworkable in township environments, where many smaller taverns operate.
The association said that businesses had already invested in creating compliant smoking spaces after the last revision of the smoking laws, designating 25% of their floor space for this purpose. The new legislation, it argued, would force businesses to spend even more to build new spaces or risk falling foul of the regulations.
'The Minister has discretion over this distance, but the Department of Health previously suggested 10 metres. This provision is totally unworkable in a township environment,' the GLTA said.
The association added that staff would be required to leave the building to smoke, potentially leaving the venue vulnerable to security threats and affecting employee productivity. Similar concerns apply to patrons, who might be forced to move to isolated areas where they could be at risk of crime.
Although the GLTA focused its concerns on smaller, informal traders, it warned that all businesses with designated smoking areas would be impacted, regardless of their location, and would face increased costs.
