Small businesses bear the brunt

Mpho Mokwape | Friday September 4, 2015 14:33

 

Street catering and car washes are the most common small businesses whose day-to-day operations rely on steady water supply.  The food catering business, which has become wildly popular over the years, and is mostly carried out at the owner’s homestead, is among the worst affected by the ongoing crisis. It has emerged that with water cuts lasting days, some street caterers have resorted to recycling their wares and serving them up to unsuspecting consumers.  Whatever food items remain behind on a particular day are kept overnight and are put on the shelf for the next day whenever the caterers do not have enough water to prepare fresh meals.

Itumeleng Mmusi said while she was aware that some of her compatriots had resorted to recycling their servings, she was not prepared to follow that route.

“I am aware that some of my competitors tend to sell food they have recycled from what was leftover the previous day,” she said.  “This is something that is happening. A lot of these people prepare the food at their homes and it is hard to tell the difference.

“With me, I fear for my clients’ suffering from such things as food poisoning and later leaving my business.  This water situation is not helping at all.”

Mmusi stays in Mmopane Block 1, one of the areas hardest hit by the ongoing water crunch in Greater Gaborone. From her home, she prepares food on a daily basis and serves it near Bokamoso Hospital. She has had the business for nearly two years now and says it has been doing well under the circumstances.

However, the last few weeks have been hard on her and now she is bracing for the worst. “Last week I had to go for two days without preparing and catering food for my clients and you can imagine how much profit I lost.  Even my clients are not happy,” she said.

Mmusi was forced to brief her clients about her water troubles, informing them that she would only return after the situation normalises.  She also informed them that she was unprepared to risk their health by preparing food in a time of scarce water supplies.

“I am able to put my children through school from proceedings from business generated by people who support me by buying on a daily basis.   “So despite losing that two-day profit, I also had to consider that the customers would suffer in my absence and that is why I gave them notice.”

Mmusi said while the situation had somewhat normalised, by yesterday nothing was certain and she had decided to buy a bigger water tank to keep the business flowing to minimise her losses. “You can imagine that even buying the tank costs money I never budgeted for. However, I realise that if I am to have my business in the next coming years, I have to invest and keep my loyal customers.” By South Ring Mall in Gaborone, 27-year-old Thuto Bareki’s car wash has had to limit the number of vehicles attended because of the water crisis. While he fills his Jojo tank from a supplier – thus keeping his business running – he had trouble recently as the tank almost ran dry after the supplier ran late.

“This situation of water is one that I would like to forget.  The business that has become my livelihood almost collapsed.  I was expecting the supplier because I knew the day he was supposed to come and after several hours he called me saying he wouldn’t be coming as he had no water.  “I was in distress, but I knew it was not his fault as we had no water also,” he said.

Bareki said he had to come up with measures to keep the business going by reducing the number of cars he attended in a day and also reduce the pressure from the pump so that it released less water.

“I understand that in the past we had little rain, but I feel like we are being sabotaged because most of us who operate small business are located in the areas that are hardest hit.

“The rest enjoy plenty of water despite them having the means for alternatives unlike us.”