Survey reveals affect of lockdown on Durban businesses

MORE than 90 per cent of businesses in Durban do not know how to access the city”s relief initiatives.

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This was revealed in a survey conducted by the Democratic Alliance in eThekwini of 760 businesses in the city to find out how they were being affected by the national lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

“By examining the input from city officials, public representatives, industry professionals and more than 760 submissions made by businesses across the city, we have been able to formulate various economic recovery and relief interventions to assist ratepayers, the poor, and businesses of different sizes during and post the lockdown,” said the DA’s report.

About 36 per cent of the respondents said their businesses will not reopen after the lockdown while 41 per cent said it would depend on how long the lockdown lasts. The report makes a number of suggestions which they believe would stimulate Durban’s economy and save businesses. The suggestions include deferring a portion of monthly utilities and rates of businesses for a period of 3 – 6 months, temporary deferrals of rental payments and utilities for all municipal owned properties, the creation of a Durban Tourism App and free access to Durban public transport for six months.

Only 24 per cent of businesses, in the DA’s survey, said they could afford to pay for municipal services.

The city has announced a number of initiatives to help small businesses including giving a six-month rental holiday to informal businesses, allowing Bed and Breakfasts to pay residential rates (instead of commercial) and waiving developmental fees.

Last month, eThekwini Municipality announced a R40 million Covid-19 Growth Fund that was set up to assist small, medium and micro enterprises.

However, the city has not shared any details on how businesses can access the fund.

The DA suggested the city introduce digital platforms where business owners can access the relief initiatives and also a SMME Covid-19 toolkit containing essentials to help get businesses back to work safely as soon as they are allowed to do so.

The lockdown has already led to thousands of job losses in Durban, the DA in their report called for the city to reopen to the economy.

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