Pandemic sent pastor 'down a financial hellhole'

Closure of churches meant loss of income for Steven Ndlovu

26 March 2021 - 10:31 By mpho koka

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The hard lockdown resulted in the prohibition of gatherings, which meant Steven Ndlovu, a pastor from Diepkloof, Soweto, had no way of making an income.
Image: 123RF/Goran Bogicevic

When President Cyril Ramaphosa extended the country’s first hard lockdown, a pastor had to rely on handouts and a reprieve on his rent to survive, while a salon owner was forced to retrench all 29 of her employees and close her two salons.

Steven Ndlovu, 33, a pastor from Diepkloof, Soweto, and Smangele Sibisi, 30, a salon owner from Protea, also in Soweto, told Sowetan of how their lives were changed after the lockdown forced them to leave their full-time jobs.

During the hard lockdown, church gatherings were not allowed and most businesses who don’t provide essential service had to temporarily close.

For more on this article, please visit SowetanLIVE.