Lockdown takes its toll on business
Fresh produce seller hit after gate to trading premises shut
EVERY day at the crack of dawn, Tony Amichand used to go to the Millennium Market in Phoenix where he sold fruit and vegetables from a stall.
But the lockdown has put an end to him trading from the premises.
Even though Amichand believes his job is an essential service, as he provides fresh produce to customers at a reasonable price, he has had to abide by the lockdown regulations.
Now the 52-year-old sits at home doing nothing. He has a lot to worry about.
With this being his sole source of income, he wonders how he will put food on the table for his family.
Amichand is a third-generation fresh produce seller.
His grandfather, Sukrie, started the family business many decades ago on a farm in Isnembe on Durban’s North Coast.
He grew fruit and vegetables, which he sold at the then Durban Market in Warwick Avenue.
As a young boy, Amichand’s father, Amichand Sunpath, learnt the trade and continued the family business.
“When I was 8, I began learning the ropes with my siblings,” he said.
“We eventually took over the business. It was not easy toiling in the hot sun, but we had to do what we had to, to survive.”
As the years passed, the business progressed.
He stopped growing crops and started buying them from wholesalers.
Amichand sold the fresh produce at markets in Durban and Verulam.
At the age of 32, he worked from the Millennium Market.
He named his stall Tony’s Fresh Produce and employed six workers – aged between 35 and 50.
“The lockdown has hit me and my business badly.
“We had no time to prepare for this. We were just instructed to close.
“Before I knew it, a security guard placed a chain around the stall gate and I was not allowed in. I still had stock in the stall. I feel depressed as my money was wasted.”
He said he earned slightly under R10 000 a month. The money was used to pay his utility bills and for food, the stall rental fee of R300, stock and his employees.
“My home has been paid off. But I don’t know how I am going to pay my bills or get by financially in the coming weeks. I don’t have any savings,” he said.
“I am physically and emotionally drained.
“I understand the need for the lockdown but our lives are being destroyed in the process.”
He added that the role of the small business was to serve the poor in the community.
“Our prices are much cheaper than the bigger stores. The closure of our businesses will have a ripple effect on everyone’s pocket.”
Despite the challenges Amichand faced, he said he would not retrench his staff.
“I believe my business will recover from this. I have to make it work. There are other families relying on me.”