Bongani Ace Duiker, coach and owner of a local soccer academy had to move to another province temporarily to make ends meet.
Like many other businesses, Bongani’s soccer academy has been severely affected by the nation-wide lockdown.
Bongani said the weekly fee of R50 he charged for Saturday sessions at the Greenhills Stadium and the monthly R100 subscription fee formed his whole income, which he no longer has.
Since 24 March – just a day after the President announced the nation-wide lockdown – he has been in Rustenburg in North West, planting vegetables. He said he was left with little choice.
“This situation is quite bad. I really do not know what I am going to do. I mean, on a monthly basis, I have expenses such as rent, food and accounts, which all require me to have at least R6 500. This is money I do not have at this stage,” Bongani said.
He added that the whole situation has been a disruption, and that he is even unsure if his new venture will produce desirable results.
“I thought of moving to a place where I would not be obligated to pay rent, and try to revive the garden to see if I could get something out of it for now,” Bongani said.
He is also worried about the skills of the enthusiastic youngsters becoming stagnant since he cannot train them during this period.
“Everyone is at home now, and even if they can play in their yards it is not the same, because they still need professional guidance. It is more worrying that the lockdown has been extended and our lives will remain at a standstill,” Bongani said.
