WHEN businesses in Qashana Khuzwayo (Shepstone) Road were informed of the roadworks in the area, never did they think that it would affect their businesses to such an extent.
The road deviation along Qashana Khuzwayo Road, at the intersection of Escom and Blase Roads in Pinetown, commenced on Monday, 26 January. The road works are part of the GO!Durban project.
This deviation was originally scheduled to take place on Monday, 19 January but was postponed. It is anticipated that the detour will be in operation for approximately three months.
Roy Anunthkumar, manager of Captain’s Catch Fish n’ Chips, said there has been drastic drop in sales.
“The road closure has caused a lot of inconvenience for the customers. Our customers have complained that it is time-consuming to get here as there is no even flow of traffic.
“Some said they no longer enjoy their lunch, as by the time they get to their workplaces their lunch time is almost over,” said Anunthkumar.
Shepmed Pharmacy manager, Ismail Khan, also shared his concerns about the effect that the road closure has had on the business. “The patients say it used to take them five minutes to get to the pharmacy, but some said they now spend 30 minutes in the unbearable traffic.”
Khan also said they have seen a decrease in sales. “We were told that the road is going to be closed for two to three months, I hope that they can speed up the the process so that we can go back to our normal lives. If there are more delays the business is really going to suffer,” said Khan.
Sumeeth Krishnakumar, manager of Sunstone Liquors, said the store’s profits have decreased significantly and they have lost customers. “The road closure has caused an inconvenience for customers, and they are now buying from other places,” he said.
The GO!Durban project commenced early last year, which is an eThekwini Municipality initiative to provide a fully-integrated rapid public transport network for the people of eThekwini.
