Alex pharmacy gets back on its feet
ALEXANDRA – Wynberg Ways Pharmacy secures R250 000 to get back into business after closure since July last year.
The Seriti Institute, in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation, has funded the re-establishment of the Wynberg Ways Pharmacy in Wynberg, Alexandra. The pharmacy was ransacked during last year’s looting spree.
Through a grant allocation of R250 000, the pharmacy has averted unemployment and prevented the loss of incomes for both staff and owners of the business and the debts the business continued to incur since its destruction.
Like many other small businesses, the pharmacy was under-insured when the looting took place which left the pharmacy in a poor operating state.
“My business experienced such a huge loss that I did not even know if we were going to recover. The pharmacy was badly ransacked, and we lost a lot of stock.
“We had to close for three weeks just after the riots and during this time, we were incurring debt from our suppliers.
“We then had to let go of one of our staff members and with the mall close to us [Pan Africa Shopping Centre] being closed, it has been difficult getting customers just to keep us afloat,” said Portia Sidambe, owner of the Wynberg Ways Pharmacy.
She said the unrest negatively affected the informal business sector and the expectation was that small and medium-sized businesses, which contribute to more than 18% of employment in the country, would never re-open again and those that would remain in business would have a difficult time doing so.
“Seriti Institute’s help is the best intervention any business that was impacted by the unrest can ask for. This will not only help my business recover but it will greatly contribute to the sustainability of the pharmacy.
“I encourage all those businesses that were impacted by the unrest in July to apply and provide Seriti Institute the opportunity to help rescue their business,” Sidambe said.
The CEO of the Woodmead-based Seriti Institute Juanita Pardesi said they were excited to have allocated more than R1.5 million to help affected businesses get back on their feet.
“This is a small portion of the grant which is why we would like to encourage all small businesses that were impacted by the looting to apply for the grant.
“Small businesses have been under immense pressure since the advent of Covid-19 and the unrest has certainly not helped. With this grant, small businesses have an opportunity to re-open, be more sustainable and contribute to South Africa’s economy again,” Pardesi said.
Details: Seriti Institute 011 262 7700; info@seriti.org.za
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