Nightclub industry in dire position as lockdown ban persists
A local nightclub owner says the impact of the lengthy COVID-19 ban has crippled the clubbing industry.
Since the lockdown was imposed, night clubs have been barred from reopening.
Taverns have been allowed to operate from Monday to Friday.
The owner of Club 386 in Umhlanga, Ricky Afonso he owns the building where his club is based and relies on his other businesses for support.
Afonso says his biggest loss has been his staff, "A lot of them have left to other businesses. So I literally had to start off fresh. For me, it's not as bad for other nightclubs they hit the worse."
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He says he can't operate as a bar because he holds a night club licence.
"Unfortunately my licence allows me to trade as a nightclub. I can't trade as a bar on a nightclub licence or as a restaurant. I'm a strict nightclub licence.
He says where nightclubs are getting affected is the curfew, "That the biggest issue with the industry because we can't compete with bars and restaurants trading at 10 at night."
