Pretoria - Spaza shops in townships remain open during the lockdown, but the operators say business has taken a big knock.
Ethiopian shop owner Abdul Haji, who runs a shop in Mamelodi East, said getting protective equipment to prevent the spread of Covid-19 was a challenge. He said he has been using the same gloves for days.
He said he got gloves and a mask from the clinic, but had looked everywhere to see where he can get more, with no luck.
“I don’t sell sanitisers in my shop and I can’t afford to buy a lot of sanitisers for every customer to use. I make sure that I take care of myself by washing my hands often, keeping a safe distance from my customers and keeping the mask on so that I don’t get sick.”
Another shop owner not far from Haji’s said he did not know where to get a mask. He said his business was not doing well enough for him to buy hand sanitisers for customers.
Fresh produce and butchery supermarket Roots on Tsamaya Road has seen long queues since the lockdown. Management has ensured that there is enough sanitiser for customers.
Shoprite Usave is monitoring the number of people in the store, keeping it under 50. The security guards also remind people to keep their distance from each other.
Thapelo Morena, who buys bread every day at a spaza shop in Section 14, Mamelodi East, said the way things were looking, everyone in the township was bound to get infected.