The beauty industry is one of the hardest hit, as they still cannot operate as the country moves into level three of the lockdown.
But the Uniting Hairdressers and Beautician Association of Africa (UHBAA) continues to help entrepreneurs register their business.
“Our intention is to do as much administrative work as we can during this period so that most of our members are registered by the time we are allowed to work again.
“We want every salon owner to make their business a ‘work place’,” explains Thandi Nkosi of UHBAA.
She admits that many salons in the townships do not meet the environmental guidelines to operate as a business and a lot of them practice without certified trade tests.
“Before we can try to meet the lockdown regulations, we have to excel in industry practices.
“We need to be taught how to do our work, while keeping our clients safe.
“Hairdresser should be wearing gloves and draping their clients before they touch them anyway.”
She says they should embrace this period to convince the government they can work as professionals.
“If we can’t work, we can’t eat and we can’t pay our bills.
“We can’t afford our basic needs at this point,” adds Valencia Thekiso, a salon owner.
The entrepreneurs closed the doors of their businesses on March 26 after the president announced the national lockdown.
“It is also going to be difficult for us to rebuild our clientele when we reopen,” says Selloane Singo.
Thomas Sibuyi says: “We have had to think of innovative ways to serve our customers.
“For example, they could drop off their weaves and we can wash and style them without having people in the salon.”
The group also agree that government could have done better to police business owners during the lockdown.
“We closed our businesses, but we know others stayed open,” concludes Nkosi.
Also read: Businesses hoping to recover after lockdown
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