Times Of Swaziland: PLEA FOR RENT WAIVER

PLEA FOR RENT WAIVER
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BY STANLEY KHUMALO on 07/07/2021 08:45:00


MANZINI - Some entrepreneurs are pleading with landlords to excuse them from
paying rent this month.
The tenants who made this plea said their request followed that at the beginning
of this month, there were pro-democracy protests which halted operations in many
establishments, while others had their businesses looted and vandalised and
others set alight.
They said during these incidents, they incurred losses in stock and it would
take them time to recover, especially because they were still recovering from
the impact of the partial lockdowns that were imposed by government as means to
deal with the coronavirus pandemic. One of the proprietors, Ali Bhai, said many
businesspeople who were in the retail industry had lost a lot, including stock.
Damages
He said this meant that they were expected to start from scratch as insurance
companies did not cover damages due to political protests. He said over 200 of
his business associates operating in the peri-urban and rural areas were going
to struggle with rent and replenishing their stock given the damages. During the
turmoil that ensued last week in the climax of the pro-democracy protests in the
country, Bhai said two of his business complexes at Fairview were gutted by
fire, inclusive of one that housed the Fairview Police Post. “I incurred a
loss in excess of E6 million and even right now, I am scared,” Bhai said. He
further expressed gratitude towards security forces personnel who had assisted
in bringing about normality in the country. This, he said, instilled hope in
them that there would be calm and security in the town.
Also, an electronics shop owner - Faizan Huzaifa – said following that most of
his stock was looted during the pro-democracy protests, he would struggle to pay
rent. He said the rent for his shop was E15 000 per month as it was within the
city centre. Huzaifa’s shop was found with its windows covered in black
plastic bags to shield onlookers from seeing what was within. “Where can I get
money to rent when I’ve lost everything?” he asked rhetorically. He said it
would be better if landlords would have mercy on those who had their business
establishments looted and vandalised so that they could recover. On the other
hand, Shahab Uddin Chowdhury, 46, who operates different businesses in
Nhlangano, Hlatikhulu, Ngwane Park and Ezulwini, said he built his shops and
complexes through the help of Nedbank.
Part of the premises, Chowdhury said, were leased to a number of tenants.
However, he said most of them had been in arrears for up to six months due to
the outbreak of COVID-19, which saw the country implementing partial lockdowns
that affected a number of businesses. Meanwhile, an economist who shared his
scholarly opinion –under anonymity, said many entrepreneurs were facing
challenges following the impact of the pro-democracy protests. He said many
business establishments did not survive the partial lockdown while others were
still struggling and, therefore, the mayhem brought by the pro-democracy
protests had escalated the challenges.