JOHANNESBURG - Zimbabwean caterers based at the Johannesburg Park Station are losing much needed revenue after being thrown out of the building where they used to conduct business. The caterers have been operating in the open space for the past five months. The building is said to be under renovation and was due to be opened end of September, but as yet there has been no action and it looks likely that the contractors wont beat the deadline. Efforts to get comments from authorities were futile as calls went unanswered.
The move comes after the withdrawal of Zimbabwean bound buses which crippled the brisk business as the station was usually frequented by hundreds of Zimbabweans.
In an interview, one of the caterers, Melissa Ndlovu, said that they were struggling and it was hard to make ends meet.
First the buses were moved and we lost many of our customers and now that we have been thrown out of the building, we really dont know what to do next. This business is my only source of income and now we are really struggling with fewer people coming, combined with the open filthy space where we are now operating from. We hope that the building will be opened soon, said Ndlovu.
The ousted caterers now ply their trade from the open place in front of the deserted building. The space is dirty with limited seating places for customers.
Another caterer, Promise Ncube, said exposure to the weather had lead to fewer customers eating there.
Post published in: News