World Smile Day: From coffee to holidays, what makes South Africans smile?

What puts a smile on South Africans’ faces? For some, it is a holiday. For others, it is a coffee, a favourite drink or an evening spent with family and friends.

On World Smile Day today, 2 October, a new survey by Operation Smile South Africa has placed a price tag on some of the everyday things that South Africans associate with happiness, while also drawing attention to a very different question: what happens when access to a smile depends on specialist medical care?

The survey found that 52% of respondents selected holidays or weekends away as something that puts a smile on their faces. Coffee or a favourite drink followed at 47%, while 42% pointed to nights out with friends or family.

When asked what they spend money on most frequently, however, coffee or a favourite drink came first at 19%. Hobbies, sport or leisure accounted for 18%, followed by gifts or treats for others at 15%.

More than half of respondents, 54%, said they always feel that spending money on things that make them happy is worthwhile, while another 30% said they often feel that way.

For many households, those expenses remain relatively modest. Almost seven in 10 respondents, or 69%, said they spend up to R2 000 a month on things that make them happy, with 61% spending up to R1 000.

The survey also asked what respondents would do with R100 if the purpose was to make another person happy.

Helping someone with an essential need was the most common response at 25%, followed by buying a small gift at 22%. Another 20% said they would spend the money on a meal or groceries, while 19% would put it towards a charity or cause.

Picture/Data/Stats: Supplied

When a smile depends on specialist care

Lebone and Rorisang Tolomane following his cleft lip surgery.
Picture: Supplied

The survey found that awareness of cleft lip and palate remains varied, as some 44% of respondents said they knew a little about the condition and the treatment children may require.

A cleft lip and/or palate is a birth condition that can affect eating, speech and hearing, with some patients requiring specialist treatment and follow-up care as they grow.

Among respondents who were aware of cleft lip and palate, 85% knew that children with clefts may require further care and specialist surgery as they develop.

There was less certainty around the cost of surgery. About a third of respondents, 33%, believed an operation could cost more than R45 000, while 23% estimated the cost at between R5 000 and R15 000.

Operation Smile South Africa says its fundraising, specialist volunteer network and healthcare partnerships allow it to provide cleft surgery at an estimated cost of about R40 000 per operation.

Its wider approach also extends beyond surgery, incorporating services such as speech therapy, dental care, psychosocial support and nutritional assistance.

Sarah Scarth, who is the Executive Director of Operation Smile South Africa, said access to care can be particularly difficult for families living in rural communities.

‘Living with an unrepaired cleft can affect so many aspects of a person’s life. For children and their families, the journey can also involve stigma, bullying and social isolation,’ said Scarth.

‘For many families, particularly those in rural communities, accessing specialist care can be incredibly difficult. Our work is about bringing safe surgery and comprehensive cleft care (i.e. speech therapy, dental, psychosocial and nutritional support) closer to the homes of people with clefts and making a life-changing difference.’

Operation Smile South Africa’s recent work in the Eastern Cape illustrates the focus on care beyond surgery. In June, the organisation held a speech therapy and psychosocial support camp in Mthatha, where 24 patients received support and healthcare professionals received additional training.

Free cleft screening planned in Limpopo and Mthatha

Zivezile Nojamanga from Mthatha
Picture: Supplied

The World Smile Day campaign is also being used to direct families towards upcoming opportunities for assessment.

In Limpopo, Operation Smile South Africa will conduct patient registration and screening in Thohoyandou on 15 October as part of the National Oral Health Outreach.

In the Eastern Cape, screening is scheduled for 29 October ahead of a surgical programme at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha from 30 October to 1 November 2026.

Patients will undergo medical assessments to determine whether they are suitable for surgery, with treatment plans based on individual medical needs.

Those approved for treatment will be supported by a multidisciplinary team that can include cleft surgeons, anaesthetists, paediatricians, nurses, dentists, speech therapists, psychologists and other specialists.

The Mthatha programme builds on an established partnership with the Eastern Cape Department of Health. In October 2025, Operation Smile’s medical volunteers performed 32 cleft surgeries at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital after screening 42 patients.

A different measure of what a smile is worth

Picture: Supplied

World Smile Day is often associated with simple gestures and moments of happiness, but this year’s South African survey places those everyday experiences alongside the realities faced by people who need specialist healthcare to address a cleft condition.

For families in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, the upcoming screening dates provide an opportunity to establish whether specialist treatment is appropriate and what care may be required.

‘We want families to know that they do not have to navigate this difficult journey alone. If you or your child is living with an unrepaired cleft, please get in touch with us and let our team explain how we can help,’ Scarth highlighted.

Operation Smile South Africa is encouraging people with unrepaired cleft lip and/or cleft palate, or parents and caregivers of children with the condition, to contact its patient coordinators for information about eligibility and assessment.

Patient enquiries: WhatsApp 060 855 7971 or email infosa@operationsmile.org.

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Also read:

International Coffee Day: Why coffee costs more in SA

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