Seven months on from the terror and devastation of last July’s violent unrest, many businesses struggle to survive while waiting for the aid promised them.

Many small business owners have closed their doors or have gone into serious debt. Even bigger brands remain uncertain about reopening at all.

Some relief may come from Enterprise iLembe soon as the district development agency recently received R5m in relief funds from the Industrial Development Corporation’s business recovery fund.

Yet, many small businesses may not comply with the strict requirements.

In Shakaskraal, the site of some of the most violent riots in KwaDukuza, some small business owners feel as if they have been forgotten.

“Many municipality and government officials came by just after the riots and said we could be helped. They handed us forms to fill in, but I for one have not heard from them again,” said owner of S.M. Furniture and General Store, Mohammad Sufyan.

He did not have the funds to completely restock his business, nor repair the damage to his storefront where rioters broke through a metal gate.

“While I’m waiting for government support, I cannot afford losing my business as I will go hungry. I have had to borrow tens of thousands of rands to reopen,” he said.

Rukaya Alhassan, who used to own a beauty salon on Shakaskraal’s main street, was unable to reopen at all.

“I had lost too much and I could not risk losing it all again by going bankrupt,” she said.

Alhassan has had to close her salon and now works as a stylist in another salon which escaped damage during the riots.

Although the monetary losses have been difficult to bear, Sufyan says the loss in trust has ruined his relationships with the community.

“I used to order 5 to 10 items at once, but now I’m restricted to one in and one out when it comes to ordering. I can no longer bring myself to carry extra stock because I do not know what is going to happen,” he said.

The recovery process of more recognisable brands may have been easier because of access to a wider base of funds, but still some have not yet reopened.

In Shakaskraal, one of the first big name stores to be looted was KFC, with rioters breaking through the glass doors and vandalising the outlet.

Now, seven months later, the site has been cleared and cleaned up, but remains abandoned.

The security guard on site believed it would not reopen at all. KFC had not responded at the time of going to print.

Shoprite, which was not only looted but also burnt to the ground, began rebuilding immediately and will reopen at the end of May this year.

Local water supplier Siza Water also had its offices looted and vandalised, with pro-Zuma graffiti sprayed throughout.

“It took about 2 months to reopen, which we did on September 1 last year. In total, the clean-up and rebuilding costs reached R360 000. We submitted an insurance claim to SASRIA but have not received any funds to date,” said Siza Water spokesperson, Khosi Mathenjwa.

Although many businesses have still not have been reached, Enterprise iLembe CEO Linda Mncube stressed that relief efforts have been ongoing throughout the district.

“Many relief agencies with available funds have stringent compliance criteria for businesses that apply for aid. The Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA), Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) and SASRIA may all need varying levels of tax clearance and registration with the CIPC for example,” he said.

“Some SMMEs have therefore not been able to claim. This does not mean that no local businesses have been helped, just that not all can be supported.

“But we are happy to announce there is some positive news regarding aid within the district.

“Enterprise iLembe has received R5m in relief funds from the Industrial Development Corporation’s business recovery fund. This will be distributed between iLembe’s 4 local municipalities within the next 2 weeks,” Mncube said.

Ninety-seven local traders identified in the week after the unrest last year will receive direct financial aid from the fund.

This will no doubt prove vital for the traders, but many small business owners struggle to keep afloat 7 months later.

Whether they will be reached at all remains to be seen. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs had not responded to repeated queries by time of going to print.