End of an era as Umdloti Kwikspar closes its doors

Umdloti has lost a much-loved community hub following the closure of its Kwikspar last Saturday.

After decades at the heart of the small town, the family-run supermarket closed its doors for the last time. The store had been struggling financially for the past four years, with declining turnover making it increasingly difficult to keep the business afloat.

For co-owner Richard Gunning, who sold his house in Pretoria to buy the store in 2013, the closure marks the heartbreaking end of a business into which he poured his savings, time and energy.

“This is brutal. Today has been one of the worst days of my life. For 29 years I’ve worked six days per week. This morning I woke up with no purpose, no sense of belonging,” said Gunning on Monday.

But Umdloti Kwikspar was never just a supermarket. Over the years, Gunning and his staff became part of the fabric of village life, knowing customers by name, sharing their joys and troubles and lending a hand whenever needed.

“There are not a lot of stores where you get to know everybody in the community. I have become a counsellor in this town; I know everyone’s kids and their stories, and they know my issues,” he said.

Gunning faces an uncertain future alongside his 30 staff members.

The Umdloti community is equally devastated.

Lifelong resident Terry-Ann Rens described the closure as the loss of a community hub and a place of connection, something increasingly rare in a society where people often live isolated lives.

“If things change too drastically in small communities like this, there is a risk of the community losing connection with each other,” Rens warned.

Gunning, she said, was a true community person who had stood by Umdloti through some of its most difficult times.

In turn, residents rallied around him when the store burnt to the ground in 2019, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the July 2021 riots and the devastating floods of April and May 2022.

Rens recalled how Gunning continued paying the car guards their weekly wages while the store was being rebuilt after the fire.

He also supported the annual Arbor Day project, supplying ice and soft drinks year after year, without ever needing to be asked.

Umdloti Smart Village precinct manager Vicky Schnetler described the closure as the hardest blow among the many changes the village has experienced in recent years.

“Umdloti is not Umdloti anymore. I’m not emotional about the changes that have been happening around us, but this one is the cherry on top. Too many things are changing at once. Who or what is next?” she said.