AS LOAD shedding ruins businesses across the country, a group of tavern owners have come together to help each other.
The 11 tavern owners from Seshego Zone 1, outside Polokwane in Limpopo, have raised R20 000, which one member is allowed to borrow from interest-free every two weeks to buy alcohol.
Group chairman John Lebang (58) said their aim was to keep their businesses afloat.
“We realised that Covid-19 and load shedding led to many taverns closing down when owners couldn’t afford to buy stock,” he said.
“The money will help each member until our businesses are sustainable again.”
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The tavern owners gathered on Sunday, 29 January, to give gogo Mapula Mathabatha (64), owner of Jacknife Liquor Tavern, the first loan during a jazz session where they had fun.
They said the session was a chance for them to unwind because most of them were old and couldn’t join youngsters at the taverns.
Gogo Mapula said she was happy they were able to come up with a way to help each other.
“Now we can relax, knowing that we don’t have the stress of seeing our businesses collapse,” she said.
Gogo Mapula said she decided to receive the money during a jazz session so that she could enjoy the music she loves.
“Jazz teaches a person to be clean and have discipline.
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“We don’t fight each other. We have fun and remind ourselves of the old days,” she said.
Gogo Rosinah Matlamela (62) of Roses Tavern said she joined the group as she saw an opportunity to uplift her business.
Madala Charles Kgomokaboya, the spokesman of Big 6 Jazz Club, said: “We want to pass the tradition to our children because fighting and drugs are not part of jazz.”
