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The year 2009, 10 years ago, seems like yesterday as I recall the start of a journey when Dohwi Pharmacy opened its doors in the Great North Plaza in Musina in Limpopo.
I had no experience of business but was determined to succeed and make a difference in the local community, and this fuelled my ambition. I was elated to learn in 2015 that the Great North Plaza would be extended to become the Musina Mall. The thought of growing the Dohwi Pharmacy was a dream come true.
Little did I realise that the extension of the mall would turn out to be a nightmare.
Investec Property Fund, a co-developer of the mall, offered to buy me out in 2017, to allow for “another pharmaceutical company” to trade when the mall opened. However, I refused. As with most entrepreneurs, my idea of starting a business was not to sell out to a corporation, but to grow the business, acquire skills, create jobs and uplift the community. Dohwi Pharmacy is training pharmacy assistants and distributing chronic medicines in the Musina community.
Read: Pharmacy owner served with eviction notice after speaking to City Press
When the mall opened in March 2017, after the construction phase, Dohwi Pharmacy’s store still had temporary partitions in place, electric cables were exposed and grout packs were displayed by the window.
Clients walked into the pharmacy to express concern that they had heard that Dohwi was facing eviction.
To add insult to injury, when we received pamphlets showing the list of new tenants at the Musina Mall, Dohwi Pharmay and the baby store I owned were not on that list.
Instead Dis-Chem was listed under “tenants coming later”. The message was loud and clear: “This place is not for you. Take these peanuts offered and leave.”
The situation worsened in July 2017 when the landlord suddenly hit me with a large bill for three years of rental turnover plus interest.
Rental turnover had always been charged once a year on 5% of the pharmacy’s annual turnover, and this bill seemed unusual.
Investec took Dohwi Pharmacy to court over the amount but later started to renegotiate the buyout.
However, I turned down the second buyout offer too.
Investec later made it clear that they would not renew Dohwi’s lease when it expired at the end of August 2018 – then five months away.
Many unanswered questions arose as the South African slogan “alive with possibilities” has slowly been fading away. What happened to advancing economic inclusion, to big businesses pledging to support small businesses and not act anticompetitively?
Depression set in as I realised that the business was only surviving to pay rentals, employees, other overheads and legal fees.
I have been unable to pay myself a salary for the past 15 months and my family has suffered emotionally and financially. The focus has moved from running a business to legal battles. God has been my strength in all this.
I wrote to many organisations, including the Competition Commission, asking for their intervention. The Musina municipality and community have been of great help. Keeping quiet about the bullying gives the perpetrators more power.
The bullying of independent pharmacies has killed many dreams in our communities. These independent pharmacies are often forced to sell for a pittance and work for such corporates.
To ensure economic inclusion, the government could have a policy in place to force developers to give 30% of retail space to locals to operate their businesses in local malls and shopping centres.
Independent pharmacies should work with the Competition Commission and other organisations to fight anticompetitive behaviour.
Small, independent businesses help to create jobs and promote inclusive economic growth.
Big businesses can play a vital role by pledging to support us.
South African compatriots should seek to advance the hopes of people living in rural communities and not turn us into mere consumers of the products on sale in retail malls.
Nndanganeni is the owner of Dohwi Pharmacy, which is based in the Musina Mall in Limpopo
