COVID-19: Khorixas business owners wants to close up shop

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Business owners at Khorixas say they want to close up shop as their businesses are generating minimal to no income due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In a recent interview with Nampa, local convenience shop owner Harry Namaseb said depending solely on his businesses for an income is not enough.

“I am not making any income at all compared to before the outbreak of the pandemic. I think I will be closing my shop soon and will wait for a time when everything normalises. Even if I stock up my shop with goods, I get fewer customers as retail prices have also gone up. This means I now have to dig deeper into my pockets to purchase stock for the shop with only a few customers,’ he said.

Silvia Tanises who sells fruit and vegetables at the local street market said it is of no use to do business given the number of people who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

“I have little hope that the economy will recover soon. Most people in our town have lost their jobs and we are not making income as usual. I have come to a point where I want to pack up my stuff by the time I have sold at least three packets of fruit or vegetables, which is an income of about N.dollars 40 daily,” she said.

Helvi Karundu, a hairdresser, said, “I am thinking of finding an alternative source of income because all the customers I had previously are no longer supporting my business. But I still open my stall daily with the hope that customers will come to buy the hair products.”

She said the pandemic has affected everybody and no one knows when things will normalise.

Meanwhile, President Hage Geingob has appointed a Business Rescue Task Force effective from 01 July 2021 to review business and insolvency legislation, laws, regulations and policies and to make recommendations for amendments to these laws and regulations to rescue businesses in financial distress.

The need for such a task force has been recognised with urgency following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Source: Namibia Press Agency