VoxPops: Small business owners feel the lockdown pinch

While the two-week extension to the lockdown will save the lives of many, small business owners are concerned about the future of their start-ups.

April 21, 2020

Thobele Nzama 2 minutes read

THE extension to the 21-day lockdown officially commenced on Thursday, 16 April, at midnight.

The two-week addition to the stay-at-home follows the government’s drastic measures in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. While this strategy will save the lives of many, small business owners are concerned about the future of their start-ups.

A business owner, who spoke to the SUN on condition of anonymity, said that their monthly income was at least R7 000 and that the extended lockdown had placed a financial strain on their efforts.

The declaration of the national state of disaster and the institution of a nationwide lockdown, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, was correct and timely. He said from 1 170 confirmed cases on March 27, where the average daily increase in new cases was around 42 per cent, dropping to around four per cent.

Ward 66 war room chairperson for small business development, Charles Leaven, said that small businesses in the area were already suffering before the additional two weeks to the lockdown.

“How are people going to survive and feed their children when small businesses are forced into economic submission? Their hands are cuffed by their rental commitments and other debit orders. Where are they going to get the money to continue paying staff? They have, in most cases, absolutely no revenue coming in. The sums just don’t make sense,” he said.

Small business owners have their say:

**Priya Naidoo, trader:** I make my own natural skincare and handcrafted jewellery. Since the lockdown started, I’ve been unable to generate an income. I was unable to source my packaging and ingredients for creams which were sold out due to panic buying. As a former nurse, I understand the need for the lockdown and fully support our president’s decision. He should be praised for acting so quickly to curb the spread of the virus. I did expect financial difficulties and applied for SSMA, unfortunately, I did not qualify. Since I could not do anything to bring in finances, I partnered up with my friend who is also unable to operate her business and we now make our three-ply washable face masks.

**Theo Naidoo, vegetable stall owner:** I’ve been running my stall on Tara Road on the Bluff for about three years now. My biggest concern at the moment are the police who assault people for no reason. But I’m here legally as I have a permit and am considered an essential service because I sell vegetables. I’m finding that business is picking up because more people are at home, which means they are eating more and need food regularly. We don’t get very long queues here, which is another advantage for me.

**Aji Ullah MD Kamal Hossain, shopkeeper:** We now only sell basic items like bread, milk, sugar, oil and maize meal. We had to stop making takeaways. We’re also not selling cigarettes which means less business than before and less business flow and even less customer flow. The lockdown has affected the way I buy and sell stock, some items are expiring like dairy products. I’m worried about the shop rent, flat rent, employee salaries and electricity. But, I understand that the lockdown is to it helps us stay safe.

**Wesley Sheffer, barber:** We are a new business, operating less than two years, we survive on a month-to-month basis. It has been tough because I was still investing in my business and hadn’t really reaped the benefits of my labour. This lockdown has been the last straw and it’s looking like I will have to close my doors after two years of work and personal investments. My personal capital has run out so it’s back to the drawing board for me.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

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. For any comments or queries, contact the National Group Editor, Irma Green at irma@caxton.co.za or the Legal Adviser, Helene Eloff at helene@caxton.co.za.

DID YOU KNOW?
Click on the words highlighted in red to read more on this and related topics.
To receive news links via WhatsApp or Telegram, send an invite to 061 876 3179
The Southlands Sun is also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest – why not join us there?

Do you have more information pertaining to this story?
Feel free to let us know by commenting on our Facebook page or you can contact our newsroom on 031 903 2341 and speak to a journalist.

To receive our free newsletter click here

(Comments posted on this issue may be used for publication in the Sun)

At Caxton, every story is written by humans. We use AI only to perform quality checks - never to generate the news. Happy reading!

April 21, 2020

Thobele Nzama 2 minutes read