Covid-19: How has lockdown affected your business?

BEULAH AND ROLAND MAUZ

Covid-19 brought the whole diving industry to a standstill. Due to all airlines being closed our overseas guests have disappeared. They will only return when flights return to normal, and nobody is sure when that will be. We have remained positive and have used the time to get our dive centre Covid-19 ready for our guests.

This period has taught us to be grateful for what we have and have empathy for those that have so much less. We have continued to pay our domestic and other staff as we feel it is the right thing to do. We thank our colleagues and everybody in Margate for their help and encouragement during this difficult time.

VICKY WENTZEL 

The willingness to adapt fast has never meant as much as today. With event planners and destination marketing agencies globally being forced to reinvent their business model if it means holding a party in a hundreds of inflated roller balls, or firmly reinventing and entrenching private sector tourism routes such as The Southern Explorer or possibly offering route-based interconnected festival packages over the same weekend, this is business more unusual than ever before.

We have to embrace the sublime, look to the new and re-look our unique selling points and if it means thinking out of the box, we suggest lose the box entirely.

“The loss of not being able to host our Bike Fest SA nationwide tours, including the loss of the Port Edward Bike Fest has had massive financial repercussions on the KZN South Coast – the last financial impact assessment that was undertaken reflected that this particular type of event generates a R258 000 000 direct income to our destination.

We will continue to create new ideas into the post-Covid destination environment with the full understanding that hybrid events are not the same as face-to-face meetings and shouldn’t be approached as that. The power of human connections is still invaluable.

Today, this is the reality but we have to accept that within the coming weeks the scenarios are likely to change. We remain optimistic in these times understanding that our strength lies in our united approach.

LOUIS BOSHOFF

This virus has had a devastating effect on holiday accommodation and tour guiding industry.

We had water issues for two years prior to the pandemic which had already reduced our income so we were already on our knees and now the big cut with zero turnover.

Despite promises, it has been difficult to obtain any relief or assistance from government to date.

SIYA CELE

The lockdown affected my business badly.

In January, I drafted a 2020 plan to sell surfboards to the local surfshops and rent out boards on public holidays.

I have no hope of selling or renting out my surfboards in 2020, as this pandemic still exists. My busiest times are public holidays and there are no tourists this year.

Fortunately, we rely on my wife’s salary but trying to pay our family accounts and groceries isn’t easy.

JUSTIN KLUSENER

The immediate impact from Covid-19 was that I have not had any new work and income since the lockdown was implemented. I work primarily in the hospitality and accommodation sector as well as schools, photographing properties and school portraits. These sectors have been hardest hit by the lockdown levels. As a sole proprietor and not having the necessary BEE compliance I haven’t been eligible for any of the government’s relief funding.

The only relief my bank has offered was in the form of a loan which is frustrating as it has just put me further into debt. On the positive side, I have had great support from existing clients and am looking forward to working with them again.

There is great support by, and for local business on the South Coast. I encourage others to support local businesses as much as possible. One advantage of the lockdown has been having the time to work on things that always get put on the back burner. I have been looking to strengthen my brand and find new ways to promote and sell my products online.

The long-term effects have yet to be felt, however all my annual event work has been cancelled, so it is going to be an uphill battle to recover. However I am confident that I will emerge stronger from these difficult times.

SHARON POLLOCK

The lockdown has had a disastrous impact on both our ice-cream shops. No sales means no money coming in. No money means we cannot pay rent and utilities. It also means no income for our two partners. Applying for funding has been a nightmare. We have applied for a few but nothing has been accepted as yet. Our one business on the beach is mostly tourism-driven and no tourists will be back for the foreseeable future.

Beaches were closed a week before official lockdown started. When lockdown is over, we will still be unable to overcome the effects of Covid-19.

As our business is family-orientated, we are not seeing any families in the mall and with everyone having to wear a face mask, it makes it difficult to eat an ice-cream cone! We have no idea if our businesses will survive. It has been such a stressful time for us but now we go into a new phase where we just don’t know if our business will be viable or not.

RUSSELL STROUD

A legal practice, even under ideal conditions brings its own unique challenges which is now dramatically augmented and exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis. The initial lockdown from March 27 to May 1 will have had a disastrous effect both financial and logistical on every single legal practice, mine being no exception.

The restrictions on legal practitioners were relaxed somewhat at level 4 but it is going to take years for an already overburdened and fraught legal system to return to anything remotely resembling normal. My thoughts go out to all business owners especially those who will not be able to trade normally in the foreseeable future.

HAVE YOUR SAY

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