Mikeva fire: What next?

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The employees of Mossel Bay's Mikeva Hyper, which was gutted in a fire on Tuesday, will be supported, it was confirmed in a meeting of management and staff on Thursday, 29 May.

Da Gamaskop Police are investigating a case of arson.

Brian Leroni, senior vice president of corporate affairs at Massmart, said yesterday that it was communicated to the staff of the wholesale store at the meeting that no one would be left behind.

He said the employees were being placed on two weeks' special paid leave while the company arranged its redeployment to its other stores in the region.

Massmart Holdings, which employs more than 150 staff at Mikeva Hyper, is working quickly to identify available positions. "Our commitment is to our people," Leroni told Mossel Bay Advertiser.

"We are actively working to find suitable roles for every staff member during this difficult time."

While the future of the staff has now been said to be secure, Mossel Bay residents are grappling with the loss of a vital shopping hub.

Known for its affordable prices and wide wholesale selection, Mikeva Hyper was a popular store in the community, especially for lower-income households.

Claudine Damon-Patel, a long-time Mossel Bay resident and daily Mikeva customer, said the closure of the store would hit the most vulnerable the hardest.

"If you only had R15, you could get slices of polony and bread and there was your lunch for the day."

A large part of the store was destroyed in the fire. Photo: Gabriélla Siebritz

She said construction workers would pop in to buy an affordable lunch, grannies came to buy just enough food to cook a meal for themselves and local tuckshop owners and families with large households could buy in bulk.

Other community members echoed her concern about the loss of the store, noting that while there were other retailers in town, none matched Mikeva's affordability.

Small business owners, such as Cynthia Williams, who runs a shop in Mountain View housing complex, say they face uncertainty.

"We're worried about our families," she said.

The fire caused significant disruption, though emergency services responded quickly. One person was injured in the blaze: a woman sustained burn wounds and was taken to hospital. She was later discharged.

The Mikeva site has since been secured and the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.

‘Ons bring jou die nuutste Tuinroete, Hessequa, Karoo nuus’