Business falls flat for local barbers
"It is a tough time for myself and other colleagues because we are hidden from the marketplace. We have lost touch with our customers because they cannot see where we are now."
MBOMBELA – Informal barbers around town are crying foul after being removed by Mbombela Local Municipality (MLM) from their operating areas.
The barbers allege that the municipality removed them from their original operating areas in the CBD in March to an area behind Pick n Pay.
They claim that MLM had promised to build them stalls from which they could operate.
One of the barbers, Mr Thomas Khoza, said he wished the municipality could allocate space to them in the CBD so their businesses could flourish. “Our business were originally based in the CBD. No one sees us here and it feels as if the municipality has just dumped us here,” Khoza said.
He takes care of his wife and two children. He said at his old spot, he would make R200 a day, but business has dropped in the new area. “It is a tough time for myself and other colleagues because we are hidden from the marketplace. We have lost touch with our customers because they cannot see where we are now,” he added and said he barely made R100 a day now.
The relocation hasn’t only affected their businesses, but has also created a breeding ground for feuds as they continue to fight over customers.
“We were grouped into different stations when we were still operating in town. That enabled each one of us to have our own customers. Now, when one comes, we have to argue over that customer because there’s too many of us now,” Khoza added.
Not even a metre away from Khoza is Mr Jabulani Mbuyane.
He agreed with Khoza that the relocation was a big blow to the business.However, the municipality refutes the accusation that it had deserted the barbers.
According to the spokesman for MLM, Mr Joseph Ngala, it removed the barbers in the CBD because they were operating among food stalls. This was unhygienic, he said.
“Even though we are still planning to build a site for all informal traders, we believe the barbers are well placed in their current operating area because there are no food outlets, “Ngala said.
He added that they left their working areas unattended and the hair was a breeding ground for diseases. The municipality is also in the process of formalising all the informal business in the CBD in order to better control the sector.
