Building back after the riots
THE destruction of the July 2021 riots and looting was a dark period for those facing huge costs to restore their businesses, while still struggling in the wake of the effects of Covid-19.
Social entrepreneur, philanthropist and chief executive Alef Meulenberg came to the rescue with his #RevivingTownshipEconomies (#RTE) project.
Meulenberg explained: “As people and companies all over South Africa started to provide emergency relief to KwaZulu-Natal, and local communities were coming together to clean up the damage, I wanted to get involved in reviving businesses that were destroyed by the riots.
“Through my involvement in various non-profit organisations and social enterprises such as Afrika Tikkun, Township Fleva and Rhiza Babuyile, a plan started to take shape, where we sought to help at least 50 affected entrepreneurs with grant funding and mentoring services to restart their businesses – and so they could rise to greater levels than pre-looting.”
The results inspired his book, The Overcomers which was launched this week.
The Independent on Saturday spoke to two of the affected entrepreneurs from Durban.
Gugu Khumalo, who runs a church outreach centre and ECD (early childhood development) centre in uMlazi, said it was painful to watch what had taken years to build being wrecked within minutes during the riots.
Khumalo said she had started the NPO and Umndeni creche in 2017 after she noticed that grandmothers were defaulting on their medication because of hunger, and their grandchildren were also hungry or not properly looked after.
She worked hard, did research at the Department of Social Development and trained her staff.
When the riots happened the damage was immense because lights, taps and all the equipment were stolen and they were only left with the walls.
“During the lockdown we were closed and could not look after kids, but I called different organisations such as the Gift of the Givers, and we set up soup kitchens for those who needed food. Then when the lockdown was lifted, we were hard hit by looting,” she said.
Many residents and church members lost their jobs during the pandemic. “It was a tough season for everyone. I went to my corner and thought of what to do because we needed to rise up. I wrote proposals asking for help from various organisations and they assisted with plumbing and electrical. Then
Reviving Township called. They came and saw that I had absolutely nothing. I also needed to get the creche running. We got everything done and opened our doors at the beginning of 2022.
“I am glad we are back on our feet. Another good thing about this is that we are close to the taxi rank, so parents can drop off their kids before going to work. I also started the creche with that in mind to help the community and because I love kids,” said Khumalo.
“I want my community to see and feel that they can also do it,” she said.
Zinhle Maphanga, who owns two sweets and retail shops at uMlazi, Zinhle’s All Things Sweet, said her business was hard hit by the Covid 19 pandemic, and then the 2021 riots.
“We were severely affected by the pandemic when we had to close our doors and then looting happened. I did not have any insurance. I had no money saved and I tried to find a new space for my businesses that would cost less, to no avail. Afrika Tikkun Foundation and Township Fleva came to my aid. I am grateful as I would not be where I am today without their help,” said Maphanga.
“When the two organisations helped me, I was able to open the shop at KwaMnyandu, and we also fixed the one in Mega Philane Mall,“she said.
Maphanga said her shop in KwaMnyandu Shopping Centre had only been open for eight months when the riots started.
“When this happened, I had just stocked up and I had cash in the register. I couldn’t take a loan because I had no salary. I cried so much, my 6-year-old kept asking me what had happened and tried to comfort me. The trauma of the riots stays with me even today. I think I still need counselling,” she said.