Graskop longs for better days
Graskop has become a quiet little town. Gone are the buses loaded with overseas tourists. Gone are the local tourists filling the streets, pubs and restaurants. It is just another lazy Sunday like in any other South African town.
The well-known Harrie’s Pancakes, which was previously packed on weekends, only has six patrons.
Lindie Kruger, manager of the restaurant, said they were extremely busy right after the first round of lockdown in 2020, but since then it has become quiet again, except for long weekends, which are a bit busier.
“We are very grateful for local support which gives us an indispensable lifeline. It is a difficult time, but we stay hopeful,” she said.
Freedom Namane, an informal trader just around the corner, throws his arms wide open in despair as he laments the absence of business from his stand. “We are battling. There are not enough tourists to buy our products,” he said.
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His stand is an explosion of colourful Lowveld produce.
“Before Covid-19 we were able to sell everything we had in one day. Now it is after 12:00 and my stand is still full. Only a few people have come to buy.”
Down the road the lonely figure of Vincent Cant, owner of The Highlands Restaurant and Pub, overlooks the premises of the next- door Graskop Gorge Lift Company from behind his bar. They seem to be busy. The parking lot is filled with cars.
“But don’t be fooled,” said Cant. “The Graskop Gorge Lift Company used to have 1 500 visitors per day before the pandemic. Now there are not even 100 people by the looks of it.”
This turn of events has had a very negative impact on Cant’s restaurant. “If the last lockdown level had to go on just one more week, I would have had to close my doors. I just hope we are able to recover from this,” said Cant, his eyes lighting up as two customers, and then another two, came walking in.
At the Graskop Gorge Lift Company, Bradley Gover, the manager, is a little more optimistic.
“We are definitely feeling the impact of the pandemic with the absence of overseas tourists, but the opening up of the Gauteng borders after the last level 3 lockdown is helping us to stay positive.”
Their restaurant is not as full as at other times, but a joyful bunch of visitors are getting ready to go down the gorge with the lift, and the informal traders are displaying their products, hoping for a little business from them.
“Fortunately, the South African economy is resilient. I am sure we will soon be able to bounce back,” said Gover.
Chris Harvie of the Hazyview Chamber of Business and Tourism said the impact of Covid-19 hit the town extremely hard.
“There has been an estimated 60% drop in tourism numbers to Hazyview. There are occasional surges during long weekends and school holidays, but this is not enough to sustain the large number of businesses offering accommodation and activities.”
Harvey said they are hopeful the warmer weather will rejuvenate the weekend trade from the Mpumalanga Highveld and Gauteng.
