Over 10 years of sacrifice, sweat looted away

Bed shop emptied in a flash

Zodwa Hlongwa felt like her life had come to an end when she realised that her bed store was ransacked by hordes of people who left nothing but destruction in their wake.

Hlongwa, 50, spent her life building Afri Beds, a reputable bed store in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

Over 10 years worth of sacrifices, sweat and hard work was invested into the store which she regarded as her own child.

Her store was one of thousands that were looted and destroyed during the recent wave of looting and riots that engulfed Gauteng and KZN last week.

“We all knew that Monday was regarded as a stayaway because people started protesting when [Jacob] Zuma was incarcerated.

“I was home when I received a call from the security company saying my alarm had gone off. Then I got another call from my landlord, who told me that all the beds in my store were taken and were all over the street,” said Hlongwa.

Hlongwa rushed to the business to find that her store had been emptied out.

“When I got there I saw people running in different directions with mattresses from my store. I was helpless, I couldn’t even stop them because there were too many of them,” she said.

Although she was yet to quantify her losses, Hlongwa said the riots set her back by at least R60,000.

“They stole 40 beds, a fridge, a stove and everything else they could get their hands on.

“My store was empty when they were done,” she said.

Hlongwa recalled how she built her business out of a single room over a decade ago.

“It was a modest operation, I started alone in a single room. I bought and sold one or two beds, and then my business started growing.

“I needed more room and a better location, so I

bought a container to accommodate my needs. That too became too small, so I had to rent business premises to operate from,” she said.

Watching her business grow was as sentimental as raising her two children.

She said she was able to buy a house and provide her family with a home.

“Everything that I have is because of this business. I put my eldest child through school with money I made from this business.

“I was able to buy a plot in the rural area so I can build another house for when I retire because of this business.

“It feels like my life is over, I don’t know where to start with rebuilding because I have nothing left,” she said.