The Cable
When the first case of COVID-19 was announced in South Africa on March 5, 2020, Azubuike Muodum thought the pandemic was only going to be around for some weeks, a month at the most. A week before, Azubuike had heard about the first outbreak in Wuhan, China.
More than a year later, the pandemic is still around and has caused major disruptions around the world including affecting migrant communities and their livelihoods.
Muodum, 57, who is originally from Anambra state, Nigeria’s Southeast, moved to South Africa in 1994, and runs 1505, a medium scale popular bar and restaurant in the Johannesburg Central Business District.
He says the pandemic has greatly affected his business as patronage has dropped tremendously especially during the lockdown.
“This thing [COVID-19] has dealt with us a great deal even one year after it started,” he said. “Both the rich and the poor are all affected and are feeling the impact. It has not been easy but we are still on it.”
After the first case of COVID-19 was reported, the government announced a state of National Disaster in accordance with the Disaster Management Act on March 15.
Muodum, who has 10 workers from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa at his restaurant, says paying their salaries and his monthly rental bills was difficult especially during the lockdown.
During the first 21-days lockdown announced last year as part of measures to curb the pandemic in the country, Muodum tells TheCable he continued paying his rental bills and the salaries of his staff.
For his monthly rent, Muodum pays R15,200 (N404,060) with an additional R6000 (N159,497) for water and electricity. His staff are paid between R4000 (N106,331) and R6000 (N159,497) per month depending on job description even when they were not coming to work during the lockdown.
“The landlord doesn’t care; all he wants is his money at the end of the month,” he says. “If you look around, you will see shops that are closed because they have lost everything or can’t pay their rent. My workers stopped working but I was still paying them because they have to eat, pay rent where they live and feed their children too. I feel it was the right thing for me to do.”
In a month, Muodum says it costs him about R45,000 (N1,196, 230) to run and manage his restaurant, but adds that it would have been more if he paid his staff their full salaries as he had to introduce a pay cut in order to survive the turbulent times.
