‘I’ve never felt this kind of pain in my life’

Thandi Johnson is in deep emotional anguish after seeing her life’s work destroyed by the looting that ravaged her store in Diepkloof, Soweto, last week.

Johnson, who owns the TWJ Partyland shop at Diepkloof Square, said she is now facing R800,000 in damage after CCTV cameras, furniture, stock, shop fittings, equipment, a fridge and microwave were either stolen or damaged. Her store sells event and party supplies as well as arts and craft supplies and equipment.

“As we were walking towards the shop, I saw our stock just lying around metres away from the shop. When I got to the shop, I couldn’t take it. Something just broke inside of me. I have never felt this kind of pain in my life,” said Johnson.

Johnson said her immediate financial concerns are money for a cleanup, new stock, equipment and refitting her shop. She also has loans she needs to pay that are financed by the money she makes at the store and salaries for two employees.

“After realising that I will not be able to pay some of my commitments this month, I sent my bank an email and they have already turned me over to the legal department. We say that small businesses are the backbone of the economy, but there is no empathy for us,” she said.

Johnson said she is hurt by the fact many of the people who looted her store are from the community she interacts with daily.

“I could feel the hatred of the people destroying our shops. What I asked myself was why did the people not take the stuff without destroying? It was just an act of hatred, heartlessness and insensitivity.

“I would even help schoolchildren with their projects for free because I wanted them to know that we are not only here to take, that our relationship is a give-and-take. I established good relationships with people there. Where were the people when this was happening? The community stood together and they fought to protect Maponya Mall. It made me feel so not valued and unappreciated,” she said.

The 55-year-old former nurse said she started her business in 2009 and it is not insured because she does not have extra money for insurance. 

“My business is not insured. We as tenants we now have to clean up our shops and do our own rebuilding and it is a lot of money,” she said.

Johnson said she started off selling disposable catering supplies while at home and realised she did not have enough exposure. She moved to Dlamini in Soweto and worked from a zozo hut but her small business was demolished by a private relocation and eviction company by accident when they thought her business was not supposed to be there.

“I have been here before but not to this extent... I lost R50,000 from that,” she said.

Eventually she moved to Maponya Mall, then worked from home and finally moved to Diepkloof Square in 2016 after her lease in Maponya was not renewed.

“After leaving Maponya, I worked from home and inspectors came and said I have to apply for business rights [to be able to work on her property]. I had to raise money and it was impossible. The frustration was so much I almost lost my mind,” she said.

Johnson said her future feels bleak because she has put in all her money into her store and is close to retirement age. “The Covid-19 pandemic has also made it very hard to keep afloat,” she said.