Former Orlando Pirates FC footballer Lucky Lekgwathi’s restaurant, which was looted during the July 2021 unrest, is now performing better than before the disturbance.
Grootman, which used to operate in Kliptown, Soweto, was reopened in Southdale, southern Johannesburg, in January 2022.
“The shop is doing better than when it was in Soweto. Now it is in the suburbs and even the orders are big. In Soweto customers used to come but would buy small items like a R10 kota, but here they buy big kotas. There is even an Uber Eats,” he said.
Recalling the July 2021 unrest, Lekgwati said it was a terrible experience that he would not forget, especially considering that he used all his savings to invest in the restaurant.
“It was painful, but I think it was good to have special people. After the looting I got so many calls, people sympathising with me, and after that, they said to me I must open an account where they can donate for me to rebuild my restaurant.
“They donated the money. After that Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC) gave me some of the portion and I was able to rebuild, and now it’s running very well and the same people that have donated the money come to the shop and support,” he said.
Lekgwathi said the looting was a painful experience as he watched people from the community that he was helping, loot his restaurant.
He said he started a foundation and organised soccer tournaments in Soweto and donated food items to some of the people, especially during the Covid-19 lockdown.
He said he doesn’t fear a repeat of the looting because his restaurant is located in a safe and secure location.
“I don’t have any fear, because even during the time of looting, the community around where it is now, protected the mall. They didn’t loot anything there,” he said.
Dr Mpho Mushadu, from Ndofaya Medical Centre in Meadowlands, Soweto, hopes the looting incident doesn’t happen again.
I hope the government has learnt and maybe they will do something better to prevent such a situation.
— Dr Mpho Mushadu, from Ndofaya Medical Centre in Meadowlands
His practice was destroyed when looters took everything and smashed the walls and ceiling despite the building being next to the Meadowlands police station.
“The practice is fine and is back to normal, but rebuilding was a process of trying to do as much as possible because some patients were stranded,” he said.
Mushadu said they had to use their own money while waiting for the insurance to pay out. He said the insurance didn’t cover all costs of the damage and he had to use his own money.
“The business is fine because it is a medical practice, there are patients that already come to me. When you are already in business, they [patients] will come back and other patients are still coming,” he said.
Mushadu hopes authorities have learnt from the ordeal.
“I tried to be positive and hope nothing like that will happen again because the practice is at the mall, opposite the police station, but it happened with the police right across the road,” he said.
Former lightweight boxing champion Lusanda Komanisi, who described the harrowing experience of being caught up in violent protests as he was driving home from Bramley, said he just wants to forget the horrible experience.
Komanisi had a narrow escape after he was caught up in the July unrest violence while driving to his home in Rembrandt Park, near Alexandra in Johannesburg, from a friend’s place in nearby Bramley.
He described hearing gunshots and people shouting, “shaya, shaya”.
The previous day he had returned from East London in high spirits after he won a fight against former IBF youth champion Sinethemba Bam by knockout in the first round.
“I have tried to forget about that moment and move on. I have sold the car and moved on with my life. When that happened it hit me hard because it inconvenienced me in so many ways.”
Komanisi said he only saw how damaged his car was a few minutes later, after telling of his near-death experience to his girlfriend.
After fixing his car, Komanisi sold it.
“When it was fixed I sold it because I spent a lot of money fixing it. It's challenging, but I knew there was nothing I could do, I just had to accept and move on,” he said.
Another centre that was affected was Diepkloof Square, where Thandi Johnson operates TWJ Partyland.
She was left gutted when her store was damaged and robbed by rampaging looters. It took two months and generous donations to get her back on her feet.
The former nurse recalled the events of that nightmarish week.
“I was at home. There were staff [at the shop] and I was going to go in later. Then they told me that people are approaching and the centre management told them to close shop. I okayed that.
“They attacked in the afternoon until the evening. It was bad, I almost died from shock. The most painful thing is that it was people that we know from the community.
“Everything that was useful was taken and that which wasn’t useful was broken. They trampled on things, it was just hatred. That was very hurtful,” she said.
This affected Johnson deeply as she was often approached to assist during funerals and would make donations to one cause or the other.
Now she says she’s no longer as eager to get involved when approached for help.
And while her business is yet to make a full recovery, she said “these days it’s better”.
Reflecting on whether the situation has improved at the centre in terms of security, she said: “Diepkloof doesn’t have good security, it’s better now because of the crime wardens, but it doesn’t [really] help because they only come on payday, while crime happens all the time.
“In general, people do as they please here,” she said.
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