By Neo Kolane
Street vendors play a big role in growing the economy through informal trading which also sees thousands of families able to feed themselves.
These informal traders sell an assortment of goods that include food stuffs, clothing, fruits as well as footwear.
But the dawn of the Covid-19 pandemic left a mark on the lives of the street vendors and their families as the impacts of repeated lockdowns continued to be felt in various households countrywide.
During these periods, many people- vendors included- lost their jobs in the informal sector plunging many to fight for survival.
As part of rendering some assistance, the government handed some money to the vendors from the ministry of trade as Covid-19 relief fund from the first lockdown in March 2020.
This was confirmed by Khathang Tema Baitšokoli Association spokesperson Tṧolo Lebitsa in an interview with theReporter.
Lebitsa indicated that the M500 donated to them was the money which served as the COVID-19 relief fund that the vendors were promised last year.
The publication interacted with a number of street vendors and came across one who sells a variety of fruits and vegetables, who stated that she lost a lot.
“During lockdown, no one was warned early about the upcoming situation; that meant we had to close immediately.
“The fruits were rotten and I had to import all the fruits and vegetables. I made a huge loss as I had to dispose of the products,” the vendor said.
The lady who wanted to remain anonymous said that she focused more on selling goods which were highly in demand at the time so as to make some little profit.
She said that she followed the mantra of successful business which is to sell what is needed that being diversifying her business according to the demand.
Although she has some thread of businesses she relies more on the one that makes quick money as its demand is on the high despite people having lost power to buy.
She prepared a list of products in the market after she read the customers reaction after the first lockdown.
Another street vendor, Thabo Molise said that he “sat down during lockdown” after which when the conditions were eased, he started afresh to trade.
He has been selling fruits and vegetables for the past 10 years in a makeshift enterprise at the Kingsway Road.
The pandemic has also had adverse effects on low-income households as they have also been hard hit by the little earnings while food prices have rocketed.
But Tsolo Thamae said that he made use of the Facebook social media app.
Thamae told the paper on Wednesday that he has now started marketing his products on the Facebook. He sells chicken and has designed many advertisements for the products which he composed during the lockdown periods.
“Facebook was a great opportunity because I would make house calls and deliver to my customers houses at an affordable price,” he said.
He revealed that his business boomed and it is thriving now.
