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SOME ORGANISERS HAPPY WITH CURFEW LIFTING

13/12/2021 08:22:00 BY NONDUMISO MSIBI

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MBABANE - This came at the right time!

It’s the festive season and some event organisers have shared how they are happy about Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini’s announcement to remove curfew hours. This comes after the PM made an announcement on Friday where he said the relaxation of restrictions was inspired by the zero deaths related to the pandemic. Since March 2020, hosting events in the country was a cumbersome exercise as the restrictions imposed by government did not permit such because of fears that the virus would spread even further. As a measure to curb this, event organisers were hard hit since their business is highly dependent on people flocking their venues for shows.

Samkelo Zulu, who runs Megalounge, a popular hangout spot in Mbabane, said the removal of the curfew was good news to them as they will be hosting a number of shows and through these they were able to pay everyone involved in the success of the show. “It’s the festive season, people want to go out and be happy, some want to buy gifts for their loves ones, our support staff, artists and everyone involved in running the club will benefit as this means more hours towards making money.”

He also highlighted that in as much as they were excited about this, they were wary of the fact that COVID numbers seem to be shooting up in the country and because of this he urged fun lovers to continue vaccinating. “We are glad that our 18 artists under our MegaSound stable have fully vaccinated and this is because we love what we do and we want to not only protect us but our patrons when they come to our shows,” he said.

Eswatini Events Managers and Promoters Association (EEMPA) Chairperson Mthunzi ‘Shadow’ Zwane said the removal of the curfew came at the right time where the industry made most of their money during the festive season. “It’s time to work, however this does not mean that people should be overly excited and forget that COVID still exists and it still spreads vigorously especially in large gatherings. I urge people to take all the necessary precautions as they party the night away at these places,” he said.

Artists

Zwane also said that the removal of the curfew will help more artists/entertainers get the opportunity to do what they love best which is perform and make money out of that. “No more restricted time slots for our artists. The curfew was frustrating because we had to make means that people get the chance to perform before curfew and sometimes because of challenges some artists would find themselves having to go back home without having performed which automatically means with no money,” he said.

In addition, Zwane emphasized on the importance of putting our lives first before getting too excited about being out there, “I would like to urge people to vaccinate especially those who are directly or indirectly affiliated with the arts sector be it barmen, waiters, comedians, DJ’s, bouncers, security and musicians to vaccinate so that we can be able to convince government to let us work once more,” he said. He went on to mention that it was proving to be a cumbersome exercise in most artists’ livelihoods to make an income amid the current restrictions.

Among the hard-hit in the Arts sector was the support staff that relied on these shows for an income to sustain their livelihoods. They have also shared how the lifting of the curfew hours would benefit them. *Themba Ndlangamandla who earns a living as a waiter in one of the well-known establishments in the Manzini Region mentioned that the year has been a total nightmare. “I used to work as a waiter at one of the renowned fun hotpots for a period of three years. I can tell you now that I have since moved out of my rented one-roomed flat back to my parents’ house as I no longer afford it, we would be able to make money through tips the whole night at these nightclubs just serving people, so when there was a curfew, it limited the money we would make and life got challenging, so I am happy that things are sort of going back to how they used to be where revelers partied nonstop and tipping us,” he said.

Asked to disclose a rough estimate on the money he would normally make in a day through tips, he said the figures amounted to E300 in a day. He went on to assert that in a week, he would work for four days and when there would be a show on that particular weekend, he would earn up to E500 on tips. When calculating his tips for a month given that he worked only 16 days in a month, Ndlangamandla disclosed he would make up to E4 800 excluding his salary which was a meager E2 500. In a year, this then equates to a total of E87 600.

Waiters are not the only people who were affected during this period but also taxi drivers, sound engineers, fashion designers, graphic designers, local liquor wholesalers and the list is endless. Stanley Tsabedze, who usually hires a stall to sell at one of the biggest events held in the country disclosed that it was a hard pill to swallow knowing that during the festive season he would make up to E40 000 on profits from selling alcoholic beverages and food. He further mentioned that this was now like a distant memory as he had had to find other means of survival Amidst the pandemic as he said there was absolutely nothing they would do to change the current status quo.

Asked to comment on this, renowned MC and Public Relations Officer for Swazi Boy Nozipho Masuku said since there was no income, no money was made in the past year. She went on to add that the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted mostly the support staff who were temporarily employed when shows were hosted. She went on to add that all these parties have not had an income for over a year, forcing them to look for alternative ways to survive. *Sipho Dlamini, a taxi driver from Mbabane said in 2019, on a normal day, he would make up to E750 in one night whenever there was a show which Dlamini averred the money totaled to over E10 000 in a month. He went on to say that the COVID-19 pandemic health and safety protocols disrupted their way of making money such that he was forced to sell his Toyota Avanza for a cheaper and more fuel efficient vehicle, the Honda Fit.

Seasoned event organiser and DJ Karly B whose real name is Khulekani Mamba also attested to this by mentioning who it was not only event organisers that were affected but this was a business chain as the printers of the tickets, stall owners who sell food and accessories and designers amongst the many were at a loss currently.

Challenging

“It sure has been the most challenging era we have ever had to endure. We basically have been without an income for more than 12 months now, and that’s not just the artists and organisers, but the guys that printed our tickets, the stall owners who sold food and accessories at our events, the waiters and waitresses, the designers who did patron’s outfits, etc” he said. He went on to say there was no solid estimate as to how much they made as income differed with different events but emphasised that people were greatly affected with the curfew.

An economist who preferred to remain anonymous divulged that it was common cause that when the curfew was put in place, it affected the economy negatively in that all these people paid tax at the end of the day which in turn uplifted the economy of the country. “The longer they stay at these hang out spot the longer they get to spend money so it’s a win for everyone. Globally, the nightclub industry is a primary economic contributor, with a direct contribution to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) where the nightclub industry thrives, the economy of the host community will undoubtedly improve.
Hence, the sector assumes a significant role in the economic growth of many countries throughout the globe. Nightclubs attract customers within the catchment areas and contribute to the patronage of the business and other support services within and around the host community,” he said.