Jump to full article: VOANews.com (Voice of America), 2010-01-25
Author: Sandra Nyaira
Intro: John Nzimande sits with his co-workers at lunch break on a construction site in Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city. Before opening their lunch tins, they light up a cigarette after hours of digging on a site related to the World Cup of soccer in June.
John says taking a few puffs before and during lunch helps him relax as workers are under high pressure to meet deadlines.
His colleagues agree it is hard in their line of work to quit smoking, though they know the habit has clear health risks. . . .
Johannesburg is in Gauteng province, the richest in South Africa with the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Africa below the Sahara. Gauteng draws workers from the entire country and African continent. Even as the South African government increases regulation on the tobacco industry, smoking remains a favorite pastime for about one in four men.
Though South Africa one of the few African nations to impose restrictions on cigarette advertisements and smoking in public places, the country's tobacco industry continues to see top-line growth due to higher unit prices.
Pharmacist and former smoker John Levine says that despite the decline in tobacco sales by volume, there is significant growth in revenues to tobacco companies - and to the state, which heavily taxes cigarettes.
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