(MENAFN- The Post)
MASERU – FOR years, 'Marelebohile Mofoka celebrated Christmas and New Year in style together with her family.
But her plans for 2021 were disrupted by the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic which is continuing to wreak havoc in the lives of many people globally.
This 43-year-old woman says she was retrenched in October last year after the factory she worked for shut down under strain from Covid-19 induced economic hardships.
Mofoka is one of thousands of workers laid off due to the harsh economic situation wrought by the pandemic. Many of them are struggling to find new jobs, with the Lesotho National Development Corporation (LNDC) saying last year that most factories were closing down because buyers were no longer placing orders.
Most buyers are from the United States who buy under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which allows goods from selected Sub-Saharan African countries such as Lesotho to enter the lucrative US market duty free.
The single mother of two says she has never experienced such a difficult holiday season before.
In previous years, she would buy new clothes for her two sons during this period but failed last year due to the hardships.
“It has been stressful and upsetting. I could spoil my boys with fancy clothes and delicacies for the holidays,” she said.
Even the camaraderie that used to exist among her factory colleagues before the pandemic was missing this time around.
“We would always come together as factory workers to contribute some money that we would lend to each other at a small interest. Then at the end of the year we would distribute the profits equitably as members. Those savings cushioned us during the hard times,” she said.
Not anymore. Most of her colleagues also lost their jobs and like her, are facing serious financial hardships.
The year 2022 has opened with a fresh headache. Her children have to return to school when they reopen next week.
“I don't know where I will get the money for school fees. I don't even have the registration fee for them,” she said, sadness written all over her face.
Another retrenched factory worker, Molikoe Ramotekoa, said he was already poorly paid and struggling to adequately take care of his family's needs for the past decade before the pandemic.
“The money was little and did not fully cater for the needs of my family,” said Ramotekoa from Makhalaneng.
When business was good before the pandemic, Ramotekoa said he would stay behind at the factory while others broke for the holidays so that he could make extra money.
“With that money I knew for sure that I would be able to pay school fees for my children and even save enough money to buy extra food,” he said.
Ramotekoa said the little money he earned at the factory allowed him to take care of his mother back home in Makhalaneng on the outskirts of Maseru.
Company officials say the pandemic has been devastating, resulting in a miserable holiday season for many Basotho.
“It caused serious damage” 'Mamotake Matekane, the Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing for the Matekane Group of Companies (MGC), said.
“As the pandemic hit hard, we were forced to shut down the Mpilo Boutique Hotel, which had employed 75 people,” said Matekane, explaining that lack of visitors to the facility necessitated the decision.
“We had no alternative. The company was running at a loss and we had no money to pay the staff so we had to release them from their duties,” she said.
Matekane said the group also shut down its plant hire and transport unit, which was mainly focusing on road construction.
“There was no work. This saw 256 people losing their jobs. There was no point in keeping the workers when there was no work coming in,” she said.
She said the unit would normally get contracts from the government to build roads but because of the pandemic“the government is also struggling”.
“This pandemic nearly killed us,” she said.
To survive the crisis, the group is trying to diversify.
“We have ventured into the pharmaceutical sector so that we can help people with medication during this difficult time,” she said.
Equally distraught is the Avani Hotel Group General Manager Willen van Heerden.
“The pandemic has wreaked havoc in our business,” said van Heerden, whose group runs Maseru Avani and Lesotho Avani.
Heerden said the company“had no option” but to shut down Maseru Avani, leaving only Lesotho Avani operational.
“Maseru Avani is open subject to demand,” said Heerden, adding that they temporarily opened the facility for the Roof of Africa and Region 5 Games in December.
He says the group mostly felt the heat in 2020 when the pandemic first broke out in Lesotho.
“We then started to lay off workers to try and stay in business.”
Heerden said 2021 was better compared to the previous year, although major challenges persist.
“We have not yet fully recovered,” he said.
Revised Covid-19 regulations set to be implemented in the next weeks could negatively affect the recovery process, Heerden said.
“We will adhere to the regulations, for example ensuring all visitors to the hotel are vaccinated. We are working hard to stay afloat,” he said.
During difficult times of the pandemic, the hotel staff complained about being made sacrificial lambs. They argued that the government, as a shareholder in the business, should have bailed out the hospitality group to save jobs.
Those who were staying in rented homes were most affected while many of their children had to drop out of school because their parents suddenly could not afford to pay for their tuition fees.
Some of the employees claimed late last year that although business had almost returned to normal, only a few workers were asked to return. Even those asked to return were asked to take salary cuts, the workers alleged.
Hotel management dismissed the allegation as false.
Others say both 2020 and 2021 have been hellish.
'Matalenta Pheko, who runs Party World Lesotho, said the last two years have been challenging for her company.
“The entertainment industry was the very last to be considered when lockdowns were being lifted,” said Pheko, adding that the nature of the virus and how it transmits from person to person put a lockdown on the parties.
“It has been hell with a lid off, the hardest time we ever experienced since we started in 2014,” Pheko said.
Pheko had been able to add at least two new jumping castles to the company's balance sheet since the inception of Party World Lesotho in 2014.
“Regrettably, we have added none since the coming in of Covid-19. Now we are going into 2022 heavily indebted to the landlord. We also owe suppliers and individuals and we are busy settling debts,” she said.
Faced with the enduring hardships, Pheko says she personally approached the Ministry of Small Business Development asking that it should at least negotiate rent on their behalf.
“We hit a brick wall. Truth be told, my company has been crippled a lot by the pandemic,” she said.
But she is not giving up.
“We will continue to try and keep our head above the water even though things are difficult,” said Pheko.
Majara Molupe
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