By Asiphesona Wonqwelo and Emihle Nelani
For some, the long trip to Makhanda to sell coats, pancakes, beads, t-shirts, toys, and jackets at this year’s National Arts Festival has barely been worthwhile, with rainy weather keeping customers away.
Grocott’s Mail caught up with the Church Square traders on a rainy 27 June at their stalls to find out how business was going. Elizabeth Ngoya, from Cape Town, is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). She has been selling clothes and other items that she makes herself at the National Arts Festival for many years. Ngoya noted that this year, business during the festival has been rather slow. “This year it’s not very busy but we are hoping that before the end of the festival, people will finally come,” said Ngoya.
She added that accommodation in the town can be scarce, but she managed to secure a shared room that is usually used as student accommodation. Ngoya’s stall is large and lovely, with fabric and garments created with material from across the continent. “We make the things that we sell, for example, you see the material, we take it and we can make a dress for the children”, said Ngoya. She makes clothing from the material she sells, and some items are from Mozambique and Kenya.
Patric Ohene, another regular at the Festival, has also made the journey from Cape Town to sell his wares. Ohene says after the lockdown, everything went down a little. “Everyone is scared to come around and see what is out there”, Ohene told Grocott’s Mail. Business this year has been slow, he said. Nevertheless, Ohene said he was thankful for loyal customers that support the business. “Everything is down but there is nothing we can do, we are here. We have to make things move on,” said Ohene.
Ohene’s stall is more than just a Rasta stall, he said. “Some people say this is a Rasta shop. We say it is an African shop, because you can get some nice material from different places,” said Ohene. The stall was filled with bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and dresses. They have everything that an African would want to wear. They use red, gold, and green to show the nation that they carry out the Rasta culture. “We keep peace, we keep pushing the Rasta life forward. It is our own culture, as Black people most of us our roots are Rasta. It is not about the dreadlocks,” said Ohene.
Judith Neesu, based in Gqeberha, owns a food truck where she sells pancakes, waffles, and cool drinks. Neesu came to the Festival for the first time this year expecting to make a lot of profit. She was hit with disappointment and said it was not how she thought it would be. Neesu felt that business was very slow because of the poor weather and competition from other stalls. Fortunately, she and her employees were able to get accommodation, unlike many other vendors, who are sleeping in their stalls at night.
Also from Gqeberha, Ncamisile Maqoma sells beautiful baskets which he and his colleagues at the Metro Organisation for Disabled People made themselves. The organisation consists mainly of people who cannot see nor hear but just want to make a living just like everyone else, Maqoma said. It’s hard enough to get a job but even harder when you can’t see or hear, he said, adding that he came to NAF in the hopes of showcasing their talents and getting people to buy from him. His business has been doing well and fortunately, his organisation provides accommodation.
“That’s fortunate because there are so many others [vendors]living in the streets in this cold weather and there’s nothing they can really do about it because either the accommodation is really expensive, or places are all booked,” Maqoma added.
Akes Ebini has a stall selling coats, one of several in Church Square. Also at the Festival for the first time this year, Ebini is a student at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha whose friends introduced him to the business.
“As a student, you must always have another source of income if possible,” he says, adding that he was disappointed because his stall was running at a loss. “Yes, people are buying but it is not enough,” Ebini told Grocott’s Mail.
