Cape Town - Shooting range owners say their business has suffered a great deal during the pandemic despite little being written about them in the news.
The shooting ranges host different shooting disciplines and competitions to promote sport in a safe and relaxed environment, and hold competitions where shooters come up against one another.
Milnerton Shooting Association chairperson Ludi Starke said they had to close down as a result of the Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
He said could have only 50 people at a time and their rangers did not want to come because of the pandemic.
“We suffered because we had to close during the peak of our business, which is before the hunting season from February to May,” said Starke.
He said people come to the shooting range for different reasons; some to sharpen their shooting skills, others to compete.
He said though most businesses were getting help from the government, they never got any assistance.
“The business is run by the funds of the members, but we are slowly picking up again,” he said.
Kraaifontein Sports Shooting Club, Ets van den Berg, said they lost a great deal of income during the lockdown. They also had to close their facility as it was “broken into all the time”.
“On top of everything else we also had to pay bills and pay the employees because they can’t live without their income when they have families to feed,” she said.
Van den Berg said the past year had been difficult for everyone in the country. However, she said she has hope that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel “because South Africans have survived a lot of tragedies”.
She added that the shooting ranges were not only about shooting guns, but places where communities came together and enjoyed a great time.
Weekend Argus