APRIL 2020 FORBES AFRICA | 21FORBES AFRICA
FOCUS • CORONAVIRUSFORBESAFRICA.COMWehadforeign
nationalswho
boughthand-
sanitizersmorethan
the[locals]because
of the[five-star]
hotelsin thearea.R
ETAIL STORES IN JOHANNESBURG, AS IN MOST
urban centers in the world currently, have run out of wet
wipes and hand-sanitizers – the widely-recommended
weapons to keep the coronavirus at bay.
With the first confirmed case of Covid-19 in South Africa’s
KwaZulu-Natal province on March 5, the pandemic has
brought the country to high alert and a state of national disaster
proclaimed by President Cyril Ramaphosa merely two weeks
later, with 116 confirmed cases and counting (at the time of going
to press).
Where there was plenty before news of the outbreak,
exasperated customers are seeing ‘Out Of Stock or ‘Sold Out’’
signs in bold red letters on hand-sanitizer shelves at retail outlets
and pharmacies. There is a long waiting list at dispensaries such
as Clicks in Johannesburg.
At a store at The Marc, a fairly new retail mall in Sandton,
Africa’s richest square mile, the manager echoes the sentiments
of his counterparts in other malls in the area: “Three weeks ago,
we were fully stocked, now, we are out of stock. This happened
the week of the first coronavirus report in KwaZulu-Natal, when
we had foreign nationals who bought hand-sanitizers more than
the [locals] because of the [five-star] hotels in the area.”
About 21kms from Sandton in Roodepoort, another city in
Johannesburg, Khensani Moleko, a 27-year-old account manager
in the advertising industry, says she mall-hopped a whole
weekend in search of hand-sanitizers.
“We went to multiple shops in the Roodepoort area and found
nothing. However, we had sanitizers before the outbreak so we
still have some left but it’s running out. I’ll be looking online,”
says Moleko.
This is what consumers like Mufhenyi Mashaba, a
Johannesburg-based interior designer, are doing too.
“On the websites, all sanitizers were out of stock, and they
are usually priced between R20 and R30. When I checked the
next day, people were auctioning hand-sanitizers [at ridiculous
prices]. So now, I’m sitting here with no wipes and no sanitizers.
I’m relying on personal hygiene and making sure I’m aware of my
surroundings and that people have their hygiene in check,” says
Mashaba.
This is also an opportunity for private business and small
entrepreneurs such as Ludwick Marishane, founder of Headbody
Industries and inventor of DryBath Gel, an innovative gel that can
be used as a water-less body wash.
“We are making an antiseptic version of the product and the
idea is to provide it to businesses because facilities are no longer
safe. We have also been approached by a few retailers interested in
listing our product.”
The gel is currently sold online, and should find its way on
to retail shelves by June next year, says Marishane.
He is not the only entrepreneur making money off the
hygiene industry.Whitey Chemicals,
founded by Joanne Whitely
in Johannesburg, is a
chemical cleaning service
and supplier.
The company started
with cleaning petrol
stations; one of their
products is used to remove
oil from concrete and
restore it to its original
form. The company also
supplies disinfectants
and cleaning solutions for
schools, businesses andhomes. “When I started the
business two months ago,
we fully got into hand-
sanitizers because of the
increase in the chaos going
on in the country. Sanitizers
are in high demand and
business has picked up
rapidly, it’s the main focus
currently,” says Whitely,
who has been in the
pharmaceutical industry for
the last 15 years. She has a
full-time staff of six but has
had to employ another 15 as
freelancers to keep up with
the demand.
With emptying retail
shelves, small business
is coming to the rescue,
whilst also cashing in on
the timely opportunity.
Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla