With stricter regulations being put in place, businesses continue to suffer.
In a student town like Potchefstroom, many businesses like restaurants, bars and nightclubs are feeling the pinch due to the most recent booze ban. The biggest concern among owners is the knock-on effect the restrictions have on their staff.
“We have learnt many lessons from previous bans, so we were more prepared. The reality is that most of our staff cannot earn money now. I have staff members who have asked me if they can at least come in to clean or paint or something because they are 100 per cent dependent on their income here,” Jonathan Wayne, the owner of the Texas Bar, said.
Martie Bothma, the owner of the Snowflake venue, says the impact is felt from top to bottom. According to her, UIF and TERS funding has stopped, which means they were forced to retrench staff.
“The venue cannot be rented out and we cannot have our own events at the venue.
“Our Snowflake market allows about 60 households to earn an income. For some, it is their only income,” she said.
The Texas Bar has remained open for takeaways but other businesses have decided to close their doors for now.
According to Tertius Esterhuizen, the owner of Impala Hotel, it is not worth opening only for takeaways.
“Our main income is from alcohol. I have given my staff leave as far as possible. We are using this time to do maintenance and some revamp work that needs to be done. We are trying to stay positive, but, generally, the negative impact on employment is being felt by many in Potch,” Esterhuizen said.
The Mystic Boer has also closed its doors following the announcement of the stricter lockdown restrictions.
“What can we do? We have to push through. The increase in Covid-19 infections is high. We will be doing renovations until we can open our doors again,” said Eloise Botha, the owner of Mystic Boer.
The ban has also had an impact on businesses that provide support to bars and restaurants.
Thomas Mahlangu and Dylan Strijdom, the co-founders of P vir Potch do marketing for bars and restaurants and organise events.
“The challenge we’re facing now is that students are no longer around, due to the restrictions.
“This automatically means that business is down for us. We have tried to meet our clients halfway by giving them the next month of our services for free.
We understand that every business is being affected,” Thomas explained.
The restrictions are set to be reviewed on 11 July 2021. Most owners do not believe that the restrictions will be lifted by then.
https://potchefstroomherald.co.za/89569/knock-on-effect-of-booze-ban-biggest-concern/?fbclid=IwAR0K0ZS9udnsJdoeT1Odvz2sPYGn-maxEvU4wNJHPUyp67xe1oBW2wGyqnU
