NGOs unite to help looted Kliptown businesses
"Even now, I’m still not sure what to say. Everything is gone. This was our livelihood," said 73-year-old Sabinah Mukhekhoni, a business owner whose furniture shop was looted.
So far, more than eight stores in Kliptown are getting a revamp after falling victim to looting two weeks ago. Soweto was rocked by the widespread looting sprees that hit KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Several shops in Kliptown, near Walter Sisulu Square were ransacked clean and some set ablaze. “Even now, I’m still not sure what to say. Everything is gone. This was our livelihood. I can only express gratitude to the people and organisations that have offered to help us. Truthfully, it’s a bittersweet feeling to be standing here,” said 73-year-old Sabinah Mukhekhoni, a business owner whose furniture shop was looted.
However, in a special turn of events, Phenomenal Woman has teamed up with Step Up South Africa (SA) to help these businesses. The collaboration saw volunteers from various businesses and organisations come together to revamp eight of the looted businesses near the square. Chairperson of Phenomenal Woman, Chriszelda Jooste-Swartz explained why her team decided to get involved.
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“We saw the damage that was done by the riots here. This is a path that our kids take every day to school and that’s how the idea of cleaning it up came about. Through conversations with business owners in the area, we understood that many of them had lost basically everything,” she said.
On Thursday, the team of volunteers began the process of breaking down the old and burnt walls, repainting, and building new shelves. Step Up SA, barely a few weeks old is a Non-Government Organisation (NGO) established with the aim to help in the aftermath of the looting sprees. Step Up SA’s Dani Donald shed more light on how the project came together.
“The aim, really, is to help uninsured local businesses get back on their feet. It’s really amazing what strangers can do when they pull together with a common goal – some of these people I only met yesterday. I think it’s down to having a common goal and allowing people to contribute in a way that they feel comfortable in. Everyone here is contributing with their own special set of skills,” explained Donald.
One of the businesses that contributed was Phenomenal Light (PL) Construction. Its founder and CEO, Noxolo Fani said she was proud to be part of the campaign.
“Look it’s about helping people and everyone has just come out here to contribute the little they can. It really is a great initiative to be a part of and hopefully, it will get even bigger and reach more people,” said Fani.
Other efforts came from contractors, artists, organisations and individuals. Efforts are still currently underway to secure more funds in order to help in the potential restocking of the looted businesses.
To offer assistance or find out more information, get in touch on social media:
Facebook: Phenomenal Woman
Youtube: Step Up South Africa
