Businesses suffer at the Oriental Plaza in Standerton due to bad roads and theft
the poor condition of the roads keeps customers away which leads to lack of revenue and job losses.
The Oriental Plaza in Standerton used to be a hive of activity and business was good as most residents in Standerton flocked in large numbers to buy furnishers, clothes and even hardware.
Now the Oriental Plaza is an eyesore and a shadow of its former glory, Business is dwindling and the roads are bad, making customers avoid driving to the area.
A business owner, who did not want to be named, told the Standerton Advertiser that customers are refusing to come because roads are bad and their cars get damaged.
“There is a huge water spill all the time from the sewer. It causes stores to close and it’s bad at night because the area is dark as there are no street lights.”
He said a lot of people migrated to the CBD to do their shopping because the decaying problems in the plaza have caused a negative outlook.
“Most of our stores are family businesses. We used to employ a large number of people, but the sad state of affairs in this area has affected our business and we are left with no customers. They come in drip and drapes, and we end up retrenching,” he explained.
The businessman suggested that if the municipality put in some street lights and re-design the roads leading to their stores, it might not only change the future of their business but will also mean that more people will be employed.
“We want to get a lot of youth off the streets and offer them jobs, but we are unable to do so because the business is not booming as it used to be. If we are provided with new infrastructure our fortunes might change and we can re-hire some of the people we were forced to let go,” he added.
The business hub also faces theft as criminals use the cover of darkness to pounce on businesses.
“Our electrical box is damaged, the cables are stolen and when we open in the morning we have to deal with the problem of not having electricity. It is frustrating. We are supposed to look at how to improve our business but we now worry about security in our shops.
“Things really need to change for the better. We need change and we need it as in yesterday,” the businessman stated.
He added that Lekwa Municipality needs to bring back the former mayor Louis Thabethe.
“The ex-mayor was on the verge of fixing what was broken in this town, but politicians being politicians, decided to chuck him out. Can we just put politics aside and try and fix this town?
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“Some of the problems in this town were caused by politicians who left this town to rot. look at it now!” he exclaimed.
Another elderly businessman had a similar complaint and suggested that people need to vote differently and wisely in the next local government elections.
“We have been living in this town for years, and it was beautiful, the economy was headed in the right direction. When certain people came into power, their mission was to steal, kill and destroy everything that was once beautiful.
“It is not only Standerton. A lot of towns in South Africa suffer the same fate. Our people have been brainwashed by politics. They still believe that every property belongs to the apartheid government hence they still burn buildings when they protest.
“The world has moved on, but we are still trapped.”
