Moshupa businesses count losses after floods
Lebogang Baingapi | Wednesday January 11, 2017 15:29
While the news coming from the village is that two bridges have collapsed, business owners are also counting their losses and trying to come to terms with the disaster that befell them a few days after New Year.
Police volunteers gathered around a shopping complex popularly known as Kgabo to disperse residents who wanted to know if the items from the hawkers wholesale, motor spare and China clothing shops, were not sold at a much cheaper price. Uniformed police were also vigilant as there were suspicions of looting. The hawker’s shop, which sell mostly sweets and snacks, attracted the young ones who were not bothered by the police but fixed their eyes on the damaged stocks which was anticipated to be removed from the shop. Inside, shop assistants were struggling to remove water and mud as well as damaged stock from the dirty water. The manager of the Moshupa Spares Shop Mohammed Adil Dhawlarker, told Mmegi that he estimated damages at P150,000. He explained that the water level was half way through the counter and all the items, which were below, were affected by water.
“Other items which were about that level were safe but these are simply small items which are cheaper than what we have lost. Our computer has also been affected and we are looking for other means to arrest the situation,” he explained. The damages were hard to ignore and the property owner Margret Gaobowe who also operate a brick moulding business, explained that she lost seven trucks of sand worth P4,900 and bricks valued at more than P8,500.
She was also quick to lead us to one of her tenants, Victory Fellowship church, which has lost musical instruments worth more that P20,000. Pastor Popie Ntloyathuto said she was not there when the storm started and was called by the landlord after the roof went off and water entered into the building to destroy everything ranging from the instruments, mats and other utensils. “That’s another loss for me because the ceiling and electricity are worth P12,500 and I am forced to replace them to continue accommodating the tenants,” Gaobowe said.
However all is not lost for the entrepreneurs as they vowed to soldier on despite the ordeal. Kefilwe Dibotso who runs a laundry business is looking to the government to help repair her washing machines or replace them through the poverty eradication programme after being damaged by the floods. She was forced to pause her services, which has sustained her financially for the past five years.
Moshupa Station Commander superintendent Oteng Ngada confirmed that there were no causalities recorded and the acting deputy district commissioner Tshepo Kgotso said they opened some bridges on Sunday for light vehicles. Still on the same day, A10 road from Moshupa’s two junctions was closed after another bridge collapsed. The Disaster Management team was on site to arrest the situation and open other internal roads, which lead to Kanye. “As a precautionary measure, we are restricting the movement and entrance of heavy trucks in the village. They should alternatively use Lobatse and Mogobane roads,” Kgotso said.