Downtown businesses struggle to trade
Despite deteriorating infrastructure, declining health and safety standards, illegal trading and the blatant disregard of municipal by-laws and regulations, business owners in downtown Pietermaritzburg are hopeful that, working with the municipality, these challenges can be resolved to enable them to trade freely.
Working closely with the Msunduzi Economic Development Agency (Meda), ward councillor Garth Middleton and city officials, business owners have detailed the issues that confront them on a daily basis.
A business owner in Berg Street, who did not want to be named, said he has been in business for over 45 years and conditions have become so bad that no one wants to trade in the area anymore. He initially ran a number of shops in the area, but now only has two in operation. “Driving on these so-called roads has become a nightmare. The potholes are no longer potholes, they have become ditches. The tyres on our vehicles have to be frequently repaired or replaced . You need to drive a 4x4 to get through the ditches,” he said.
He added that property owners are also taking a knock as tenants are reluctant to occupy flats under these conditions. He said that only three flats out of a block of 16 have been occupied.
“We encounter more than 25 problems everyday. There is an illegal garage operating outside my business and not one, not two, but up to 10 vehicles are repaired outside everyday. The problem is exacerbated by the taxis stopping anywhere, causing major traffic gridlocks. The taxis are also washed and repaired on the road. The non-functioning traffic lights add to the utter chaos,” he said. He added that the establishment of illegal shebeens and the presence of whoonga addicts, who loiter outside the shops, seriously affects trade.
Another businessman, J S Govender, who trades on Hoosen Haffejee Street, said he faces many issues owning property and operating a business in the downtown area. “The weekly electricity outages adversely affect my business. I have many outlying stores that also cannot operate when the town branch is off,” he said. He added that the street hawkers dump their waste a mere 20 metres from their receiving area and the stench is repulsive. Furthermore, the municipality doesn't seem to have an established waste removal schedule.
“The drains and gutters are all completely blocked. Whenever there is a storm, the entire area around us as well as our parking area gets flooded and the aftermath, with all the dirt and sludge, is disgusting. The pavements around our businesses are either all broken or caked in oil and grease,” said Govender.
Kantha Naidoo, chairperson of Meda, said the concerns of the businessmen have been forwarded to councillor Garth Middleton, under whose jurisdiction the area falls, as well as to the relevant municipal officials.
“We have met with councillor Middleton and he has escalated our concerns to the city leadership and requested a meeting with us and them, as well as the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business,” she said.
“Meda will continue to provide solutions to the city leadership, as we have been doing for many years, with the hope that they will apply our proposals to improve the city,” said Naidoo.
Ward 32 councillor Garth Middleton said he is sympathetic to the plight of the business owners. “I understand their despondency and frustration that they are struggling to stay afloat. I have had six to seven productive meetings with the relevant authorities and am waiting for their responses. We need to deal with people and businesses that are constantly breaking the law and make the lower end of town safe again and business compliant,” he said.