RUSTENBURG HERALD - RUSTENBURG - As soon as the first rumours of the temporary closure of the by now infamous Kruger Street Bridge surfaced in Rustenburg just over two months ago, everybody’s immediate concern was just how this serious inconvenience was going to affect Rustenburg’s similarly notorious peak hour traffic situation.
It’s no secret that for years if not longer, the Platinum City’s traffic conditions were nothing less than indigestible if you wish, let alone how this was going to deteriorate for an estimated period of 11 months.
What is even more disturbing, however, is how the closure of the bridge would affect local or adjacent business concerns and to what extent business owners were briefed and prepared for the ordeal that they were to face for a period just short of a year.
It was no surprise to hear that from the very onset on Wednesday, 21 August this year, tenants at the Wildevy Shopping complex only some 30/50 metres from the now “defunct” Kruger Street Bridge were already suffering from a quite dramatic downturn in turnover since almost at least half of its usual day-to-day clientele were nothing but forced to frequent alternative shopping outlets on their way home after dropping the kids at school, after a long day at the office or leisurely over weekends in which case the Wildevy Centre was conveniently very close and hardly ever congested.
The ugly truth of what has been transpiring at the Wildevy Centre during recent weeks and months, is that several of the approximately 12 to 15 tenants at the centre could be facing foreclosure as a result of a downturn of 30 to 40% caused by a sharp decline in patronage.
Rustenburg Herald spoke to owners/management of a number of the most prominent/leading business concerns at the centre and the answers we received were ringing in our ears like the proverbial chorus. “We didn’t know or were not informed of the eminent closure of Kruger Street, we were not warned, received no letters/notices or were never invited to any meeting between the Rustenburg Municipality/Centre Management/and/or tenants of the plight that all of us would be facing after Wednesday, 21 August.
Among the tenants, Paul and Liesl Putter of Heystek Street Biltong - formerly indeed in Heystek Street - need no introduction. “We have been running our biltong shop for nothing less than a period of 18 years down in Heystek Street and thought it was a sign of the times and the changing face of the Rustenburg CBD profile which prompted us to move southward to the Wildevy Centre.
“Little did we know what challenges we were going to face here,” the Putters exlaimed. “A downturn of 30% is conservative. At this stage we are considering another move to more suitable, if only temporary premises to save our business.”
At Protea Cell Bobby Gujar agrees, also citing a downturn of 30 - 40%.
At Wildevy Liquor - a store at least 20 years old - Dieter Hammes said the pattern was similar throughout the complex. “There isn’t a single tenant who would tell you otherwise - we are suffering from a serious decline in clientele and heaven knows if some of us will still be open in roughly 10 months’ time. Everybody complains of a serious downturn in turnover and our patrons appear to have found greener pastures”. What is most surprising is that few tenants were informed of the eminent closure of the Kruger Street Bridge and literally had no time to prepare for the ordeal.”
At Lifelong Phamacy Protea Park the story is even worse.
“We had been planning for the opening of our brand new pharmacy and we’d been open for only two weeks before the bridge was closed without any official warning from the authorities - neither by Sanral nor the Rustenburg Municipality. The truth is that the pharmacy is failing dramatically and we are in despair,” Masego Moepye told Rustenburg Herald.
Moreover, Rustenburg Herald approached the owner of the Wildevy Shopping Centre - Wouter van der Westhuizen - who made the following frightening admission: “On the 21st of August 2024, the Kruger Street Bridge was closed off to accommodate the extension of the N4 highway. The single lane N4 highway is being changed to a dual carriage highway.
“Local businessmen, landowners and tenants in the Wildevy Shopping Centre had less than a month’s notice to prepare for this drastic impact the closure of Kruger Street Bridge brought.
“They frantically searched for assistance and answers from the Bakwena officials in charge of the changes to the highway. No one from the Rustenburg Municipality was willing nor available to assist us. Although the changes are made by Bakwena and their team of engineers and workers, the Rustenburg Local Municipality is responsible for assisting local business owners.
“During several meetings with the Bakwena officials, we were informed that the Rustenburg Municipality has been in talks with the Bakwena management regarding the planned changes since January 2024. Not a single notice went out to local stakeholders, businesses and residents. We heard that we were intentionally excluded from any planning meetings.
“The impact on local businesses, parents, residents and the Protea Park Primary School after the closure of the Kruger Street Bridge was immediate and dramatic from the first day.”
“To date, not a single Municipal official has spoken to any affected owners. No concessions have been offered to the local landowners or businesses to offer reduced property and income taxes to assist them. To date, jobs have been lost; tenants are battling to keep their doors open and they might even have to close their businesses due to a lack of clientele.
“I am not even mentioning the traffic nightmares in and around the Helen Joseph Drive daily. Is this how Rustenburg’s business environment is being treated by the Rustenburg Local Municipality?” van der Westhuizen concluded.
(Also see story on the Wildevy Shopping Centre Christmas Raffle on p8.)
