PLEA FOR RENT WAIVER

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.

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