AN uMhlanga-based restaurateur has risen above the odds and kept his business doors open, despite the challenges he faced over the past two years.

ALSO READ : Durban Business Fair boosts local businesses

Speaking to Northglen News, Duncan Heafield, the owner of the popular beach bar and restaurant, Bellezar, said it hasn’t always been smooth sailing since the inception of the eatery and, that re-invention was what helped him keep his business afloat.

“The Covid-19 pandemic and the July unrest each brought with it its own challenges. The beach was closed for 241 days last year due to lock down restrictions, and the chemical spill caused during the looting,” he said.

The United Phosphorus Limited (UPL) warehouse in Cornubia was set on fire in July, which led to an environmental disaster and the closure of several beaches, which severely affected the local economy of the area.

Heafield’s business relies mainly on international tourists and holidaymakers who visit uMhlanga for the beautiful, blue ocean.

This was also meant to be a peak period for the restaurant as it was the July school holidays.

However, there were numerous cancelations due to the unrest.

“Without a beach, what’s the point in going on a beach holiday? Many people cancelled their holidays, which was a huge loss to us,” he said.

During the July unrest, the restaurant could not operate at its usual pace as the supply chain was affected.

“We could not get in fresh or frozen produce, so our menu had to change. Over that two-week period we went from serving seafood platters on day one to breyani on the last day, but we adapted. We made it work,” he said.

Heafield added that his staff who lived in Phoenix, north of Durban, had been deeply affected by the riots as much of the violence occurred in this area.

“Some of the other staff were immensely affected by the massive looting along Queen Nandi Drive as family members had lost their jobs. It was an extremely traumatic time,” he said.

During the looting, Bellezar served free coffee and meals to security who patrolled the area and catered to guests at self-catering establishments who could not go out and purchase groceries.

“Some hotel security could not get home. We persevered and utilised whatever in-house supplies we had,” said Heafield. 

“The one thing about us South Africans is that we are resilient. As communities, we came together and took care of each other. We built each other up,” he said.

* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news

Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).