THE current state of Lilian Ngoyi Street, also known as Bree Street in the Joburg CBD, has street vendors worried.
They are questioning whether this will be the new normal and whether business will ever return to what it was before the terrible incident.
It has been 41 days since an underground explosion ripped the street, which has now been barricaded with wire.
Five years ago, Jose Munguambe (28) set up his vegetable stall on this very same street.
Since the explosion, business has been slow, and he's worried what will happen if Bree Street is not fixed on time.
Patience Marowa (28), who has been selling beauty, hair and make-up cosmetics for the past two years, said she has lost customers because of the barricade.
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"Our stall was exposed, and people would easily come check things out but now that this street is barricaded, nobody sees what’s happening and some don’t even think of coming this side to check our stalls. We have become the forgotten sellers of the city.
"Even though I have regular customers coming through because they know I am operating this side, what about the new ones?" Patience said.
The cause of the explosion was confirmed to be methane, and City of Joburg civil engineer and consultant Johan La Grange detailed how they were uncertain at what stage it had accumulated.
At the time, city manager Floyd Brink revealed that an estimated R178 million would be spent on the redesign of Bree Street in the next 18 months.
Meanwhile, adjusting has been difficult for most street vendors who now fear that this might be the new normal.
