Curfew knocks out night businesses

MASERU – THE curfew has left restaurants, bars and taxi operators reeling.

The Lesotho Liquor and Restaurant Owners Association (LLROA) has described the curfew as “a bridge leading to the collapse of businesses”.

Motseki Nkeane, the president of LLROA, said although the curfew starts at 10pm, most people are now leaving bars and restaurants much earlier to avoid trouble with security agents.

“Most of the businesses are not going to be able to survive this,” he said.

“Businesses which benefit indirectly from the liquor and restaurant sales such as landlords are also going to suffer,” he said.

He said these businesses have already been hit by the introduction of alcohol and tobacco levy which caught them on their way to recover from Covid-19 coupled with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He wondered if the government didn’t have less economically disruptive ways to fight crime.

“Does the government say they failed to control criminality in the country?”

The curfew has caused anguish in the hospitality sector and other businesses that depend on it.

He said the curfew is punishing people for the police’s failure to fight crime.

“The police failed to do their work. You won’t see police officers in the communities preventing crime,” he said.

Teboho Khabane, the owner of a nightclub in Butha-Buthe, is furious with the government.

“We realised that everyone in the country who has power can make any decision without considering the impact it will make on others,” said Khabane, who claims his business opens at 6pm and closes at 6am.

He warned that the curfew will also reduce the government’s tax revenue.

“This is the kind of lockdown which is taking us back to the first Covid-19 phase.”

He said after the lockdown he was forced to retrench two of his five employees.

“We thought since we are governed by entrepreneurs things will get better but they got worse,” Khabane said.

Makhetha Makhetha, a driver at Moonlite Taxis, said it is ominous that the curfew is coming as their business is still recovering from the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Lebohang Kunutu, a taxi operator, said his business was already struggling before the curfew.

The curfew, Kunutu said, will make things worse.

Refiloe Mpobole