Slower tempo for Rosettenville legend
Curtain-store owner retires after 40 eventful years
JOHANNESBURG businessman Manilal Manny Morar has seen the face of the bustling Rosettenville business district change in front of his eyes over the years.
Morar, 75, retired last month after 40 years of running his store, Manny’s Tempo Curtains, at 181 Main Street.
His shop was a piece of history in the Rosettenville community, one of the few remaining in the area.
Speaking to the Sunday Times Extra, Morar said he was closing up shop with mixed feelings — although he was looking forward to retirement, he was anxious about what he would do with all his spare time.
“Once upon a time, Rosettenville was a gold mine for business owners, but times have changed — now it’s a drug and prostitute den and people are afraid to come here.
“Back in the old days the area was known as ‘Little Lisbon’ because of the huge Portuguese community who lived here at the time. I had to learn a bit of Portuguese to communicate with my customers. Now they have all moved out, the area has changed drastically,” said Morar.
Over the past 25 years, he had been held up and assaulted twice, but this did not scare him off — he continued to work in the area despite the high crime rate.
“I was not afraid. People came from far and wide to buy curtains from my shop. They used to say the curtains lasted too long — 20 years or sometimes ever longer. They were of a good quality and at a good price. My secret to success was that I didn’t want to be a millionaire, I just wanted to have enough money to live a comfortable life and support my family,” he said.
Morar has six children, who all went to university and are now professionals. He himself holds a qualification in teaching and his first job was a teacher at the Shri Gandhi Bharath Vidya Laya in Fox Street, Johannesburg.
Morar said he taught for three years. “But I didn’t like being a teacher, so I left after a while and got a job at Maison de Lin, a ladies’ underwear, household and linen shop. I did admin work there and later became the manager.
“After that, I opened my own general dealer business but had to close up after my health deteriorated. When I was in better health, I approached Tempo curtains and asked for a job.
“The manager was reluctant and thought I wouldn’t last that long because of my health but he gave me a chance anyway. I proved myself and eventually I was given an opportunity to buy the branch in Main Street,” he said.
Morar, who belongs to various religious organisations in his community, said one of his passions was writing and he was keen to write a play in Gujarati.
These days, Morar spends most of his time in the company of his wife Tanam, 73. The couple live in Lenasia and look forward to visits from their children and five grandchildren.
They are also eagerly awaiting the arrival of their youngest grandchild.
Morar said he and his wife had travelled to many parts of the world but would be planning more holidays abroad now that they have more time on their hands.
“I may not have accumulated a lot of wealth over the years, but in my heart I am rich. I worked hard and educated my children and gave my family the best life I could afford.
“I do get bored at home sometimes and I miss work but it’s time for me to put up my feet and rest a bit now,” said Morar.