BY OWETHU DLAMINI
MBABANE – There is still hope from some business people after the limited activity and movement that affected the country for two days.
Following the recent events that took place in the country, bringing it to a standstill with no public transport in sight and people unable to go to work, this publication has interacted with a few small business owners in the capital city, Mbabane, to understand how they were affected during the two days of limited business operations in the country.
During an interview with Manager and Chef at Delish Street Food, Temmemo Msibi, she stated that her business experienced a bit of a challenge during the two days when there was no activity in the country.
“The situation is the same with everyone else, there are no sales that take place when there are no people around. This basically strikes a few challenges for the business as there are bills to pay at the end of the month and the pressure of trying to cover up for the days where no activity was taking place builds up,” said Msibi.
She further noted that as much as the situation affected her business, she needed to try as much as she possibly could to ensure that she covered up for the money that was lost during the two days.
“I honestly just need to keep pushing as much as I can. I will definitely need to keep advertising my business and try to up my sales by encouraging customers to buy food not only during lunch, but for dinner as well. We just need to figure out how we can move forward,” said Msibi.
A few vendors selling vegetables at the market area in Mbabane, who requested to remain anonymous, also expressed concern regarding what had taken place in the country on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Explaining how living hand-to-mouth was not easy, the vendors mentioned how they had to get rid of some of the fruits and vegetables that they had not been sold as they were spoilt. The vendors further mentioned how the two days felt like a very long period of time because they were unable to make any money during those days. The vendors finally asked for support where possible as they were unsure how they would move past the difficulties they were facing.
