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Roselyne Sachiti
Features, Health & Society Editor
The opening of the economy at the beginning of this month brought relief to many small business owners and hairdressers in Harare’s central business district (CBD).
Excited, many prepared to return to work and start from where they had left in the first week of January.
However, the joy was short-lived as property owners and landlords demanded rentals for January, February and March from tenants, in some instances with those owing being barred from using their work stations.
For example, Glosun Salon at the corner of Julius Nyerere Way and Rezende Street was not open to hairdressers who owed three month’s rentals.
At the entrance, a man sat on a chair as he sanitised customers and ensuring they were putting on their masks properly.
Before doing his job, the man would inquire if the person was a client or a hairdresser. If not a client, the hairdresser and other tenants had to produce a receipt as proof of full payment for January, February and March, failure of which resulted in one being turned away.
One by one, the hairdressers were turned away, and left at crossroads, considering the reality that they would not have been able to raise the rentals when the work station was closed due to the lockdown.
The salon, usually a hive of activity, with chatting women, was a shadow of its former self, with only a few paid up hairdressers sitting at their work stations.
On other work stations, only hairdressers’ names and phone numbers written on papers stuck on the mirrors showed that someone used to work from there.
Only whispers of how the owner of the salon’s actions had affected many could be heard from those who were inside.
The sound of a sweeping broom and chairs being pulled also echoed in the almost empty salon as a cleaner performed her duties.
A hairdresser who identified herself as May for fear of being victimised spoke to The Herald after being turned away.
“Before the lockdown, I never skipped paying rentals. But, as a result of the lockdown, I had no other means of getting money. The landlord wants us to pay rentals for the months we were not coming. The landlord wants all the money at once,” she said.
May revealed that other hairdressers tried to negotiate for staggered payments, but nothing had materialised.
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“The manager took none of that. He refused to take the money I had, saying they want it all at once. I owe US$100. I am going home and hope I will get the required money soon.”
Another hairdresser from the same salon who preferred to be called Clara said out of the 90 people who operate from the premises, just about 40 had paid rentals in full.
“Out of 10 people who sell cosmetics from the premises, only two returned over the first two weeks after lockdown. Only three tenants out of many who sell weaves returned. Most hairdressers have left. They cannot afford the rentals,” said Clara.
“I have no choice, but to look for another work station in the city. Where will I get the money? They will not take part payments.”
But other salons have been allowing their tenants to pay outstanding three month’s rentals in instalments until the debt is cleared.
A hairdresser, who identified herself as Mercy, and works from a salon near Copacabana bus rank, said she owed US$150 and was allowed to return to her workstation after serious negotiations with the landlord.
“We spoke to the landlord who agreed to part payments. I will clear the debt over four months. This will cushion us as we recover from the lockdown,” she said.
Mrs Mary Maredza, who rents a small cubicle from a shop along Chinhoyi Street, said she owes US$1 200 for the three months.
“The landlord wants the US$400 rentals for each month, even for the two months we were in lockdown,” she said.
“He said since our wares were in the shop, we should pay up. I have no idea where I will get the money from.”
Mrs Maredza explained how the landlord threatened to evict and sue if she and others do not pay up.
“My colleagues and I will go to the rent board and air our grievances. At least the landlord should allow us to pay in instalments until when we clear the debts.”
At Dubai Mall in the CBD, tenants were advised of rental increases a day after the announcement of the lockdown relaxation.
One affected shop tenant said when he returned to work, his landlord told him to first pay US$800 rentals for the January and February lockdown period.
“He told me to pay another US$500 for March saying he had increased rentals. This means I now owe him US$1 300 rentals,” he said.
“I have been out of business as a result of the lockdown. Where will I get that kind of money given the slow sales right now?”
He said he will for now close shop and conduct business from home until when he had enough money to pay up.
“I have created a Whatsapp group from where I will sell my products for now. The landlords are not being fair,” he said.
“Most small business owners have been loyal all these years. To just say ‘I want all that you owe’ is like punishing us.”
Owners of Kwame Mall at the corner of Julius Nyerere Way and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue came up with a payment arrangement, which will result in half rentals for January and February.
The tenants were supposed to have paid full rentals for March by the 15th, they will then pay half rentals for January by March 30, full rentals for April by 15 April and finally half rentals for February by April 30, before they resort to the normal payments.
“On paper this appears as a good arrangement, but the reality is that we were not working in January and February,” said a tenant at Kwame Mall who refused to be named.
“They should have at least reduced the January and February rentals further for us to pay a token because we used their spaces to keep our goods during the lockdown.
“The arrangement should always be mutual, like a win-win scenario. The owners of the mall need us because we give them money through the rentals and we also need them because we use the space to do our business. But in this case only one side is winning, everytime.”
Tenants in other malls around the city said they were considering to share shop space to cut down on rentals.
“My sister and I had separate small businesses. I sold ladies clothes and she focused on kids’ clothes. But because of what we owe, we will for now share space in one shop. This will cut down on costs for now.”
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