Shops reopen in Joburg CBD but customers scarce after protests

The Johannesburg CBD has largely returned to business after Tuesday’s national anti-illegal immigration protests but traders say customer numbers remain well below normal as people appear reluctant to return to the city centre.

A walk through the CBD on Thursday found most businesses trading again. While a handful of shops remained closed, most had reopened, although several store owners appeared to be operating with reduced stock on display.

Informal traders had also resumed business. Hair braiders, nail technicians, fruit vendors and hawkers selling socks, clothing and small vegetable packs had returned to their usual spots along the streets.

Noticeably absent, however, were the crowds.

Normally busy pavements were relatively quiet, with fewer pedestrians walking through the city and fewer customers entering stores.

Taxi owner Sazi Sdumo, who operates between the CBD and Soweto, said he had continued working throughout the week, including on the day of the protest, but business had been unusually slow.

“There are fewer people coming and going to town. On Tuesday I was able to make only R1,560 compared with R3,360 I make on a normal day,” he said.

One commuter, Nomthandazo Ntuli, waiting in Sdumo’s taxi, said he had already spent an hour waiting for the vehicle to fill up, something she described as highly unusual on a weekday.

Ntuli said that in normal circumstances, passengers boarded quickly and taxis rarely were stationary for more than 15 minutes before departing.

One Indian shop owner said he had debated whether to open but ultimately decided he could not afford another day without trading.

He said he had been cautious by bringing in less stock than usual but keeping the shop closed would have meant further financial losses.

“I can’t afford to close. If I close, I lose money and business,” he said.

Shopper Pumzile Zondo said she decided to visit the CBD only because she lives nearby and could easily walk into town to look for winter clothes.

“If the shops were closed, I was just going to turn around and go back home,” she said.

She believes many shoppers who travel from outside Johannesburg are still hesitant to make the trip because they are not sure if businesses have fully resumed trading.

Zondo said many customers travelled long distances to buy goods in bulk and would not want to risk transport costs only to find shops closed or disruptions taking place.

“I think people are still scared. They don’t know if everything is back to normal,” she said.

Zondo added that many of the people she recognised on the streets appeared to be regular residents or workers who live close to the CBD rather than visitors travelling into the city.

Tuesday’s protest brought much of Johannesburg’s CBD to a standstill, with most businesses closing their doors as thousands of demonstrators marched through the city.

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