Looting a curse to us, say hawkers
Hani turning in his grave, say Voslossrus traders
Restrictive Covid-19 regulations, worsened by the rampant looting and destruction of property, particularly in black areas, are seen by hawkers who trade outside the precincts of the Chris Hani Crossing Mall near Vosloorus in Ekurhuleni as a curse.
The mall, bearing the name of the great political icon Chris Hani, today lies forlornly in ruins, with the gates that provided business and created job opportunities to Kathorus residents closed.
One hawker said: “Our Chris Hani would not have approved of this wanton looting and senseless destruction of property. Small business people like us are experiencing a curse. We are not able to able to make money to support ourselves and our families. What happened to this mall is a curse, and Hani would have been disturbed by the behaviour of African looters.
“The destruction of the mall is hurting the poor African hawkers. We have been deprived a living by this senseless act of vandalism,” said 49-year-old Pinky Mdlalose, a resident of Vosloorus.
Mdlalose told Sunday World that before the destruction, she was taking home daily an average of R500 from food sales. This has gone down to anything between R2 and R20 after a day-long effort to sell her products.
“The feeder businesses, which are banks, huge food outlets, furniture shops, and a host of other stores housed at the mall, have had their businesses looted and burnt down.
“I live with four grown children who are unemployed and we all had to make do with the R500 which I used to bring home before the looting started. Now that source of income has disappeared. I stay in a rented one-room, paying R1 000 a month. If things don’t improve quickly, my landlord will probably kick me out.”
Asked if Covid-19 pandemic restrictions may have contributed to the dwindling of her sales, Mdlalose said: “Yes, but to a very little extent. The main contributor to our plight as hawkers is the looting in the name of Jacob Zuma.”
Keketso Mabaso, a 28-year-old owner of MK Fragrances, is a hawker selling cosmetics at the same mall. Mabaso said: “Things are extremely bad because of what these looters did.
“The looters do not have an appreciation what damage they have inflicted on the economy, with black people being the main casualties of it all. Chris Hani is turning in his grave because he sought nothing but the development of black people.”
Marvin Mabaso, a young hawker, said there were other effective ways to express unhappiness about Zuma’s incarceration. “Now their thoughtless action has brought us to where we are, in the midst of Covid.”