View from the stalls - A post-Covid market

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A post-Covid market 


Traders are back…and not a moment too soon either. The markets bristle once more, but somehow things are different now. Covid is but a memory…a sad memory for colleagues who lost loved ones. For others it was a period of hardship, and of losses that they will never be able to recoup. Antie Asa, a 30-year market veteran is not back. She apparently doesn’t have money to buy stock. (thank you Covid). Likewise, pastor William’s sister Doris, the one selling kruier, well she hasn’t yet fully recovered from contracting Covid and is…let’s say, cautious. Boeta ‘Hiema, recovered remarkably well but now depends upon a walking aid, yet it’s good to have him back.


Face masks is now a rarity and whilst the more cautious still religiously adorn them, most traders feel comfortable without them. Firm handshakes and hugs have replaced fist-bumps and elbow touches. Personally, I think it’s a bit too soon, but hey! That’s just me! The guy who for years sold carrier bags to traders, sadly passed on through Covid. However, his son has taken up the baton and continues his father’s legacy. Yep! Things are certainly different.


The many open spaces on the market is testament to the after effects of the pandemic and doesn’t bode well for customer attraction. Also, it’s not sustainable. We have to re-configure our layout, for it’s business not as usual. “Jy moet kan Adapt”, wise words uttered by Haji Agmat, one of our market seniors to the re-configuration of stalls. And he’s absolutely correct. Potential customers are passing through the open spaces, bypassing stalls, and it’s not good. 


But you get a sense that it’s somehow all a façade, that people are merely putting on a brave face, smiling for the camera, as it were. But are things what they seem or are portrayed to be? There is no doubt that the pandemic had literally knocked the wind out of their sails. Regrettably, the promised government assistance did not materialize. Traders were taking loans wherever they could and are now heavily indebted, so being back is a means of earning to appease the loan sharks. It is a vicious cycle that they will be trapped in for a long time to come. Such a pity!



But it’s not all doom and gloom, no! there is an air of cautious optimism wafting through the markets albeit only a breeze, but hey! it’s what we need right now. But informal traders are a resilient and generous lot who, despite their financial constraints, spontaneously contribute to assisting fellow traders who have fallen on hard times, Personally, I have had lumps in my throat just seeing the appreciation on the faces of recipients. 


But, this sets us apart from formal business in that we regard ourselves as a family, and that is what families do. So, we’re back…not with a bang, but with a resolve to overcome challenges, to identify opportunities, and above all…to stay safe and earn a legitimate income…


~ By Q-squared.

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