Weddings, events cancelled because of 100-people ban

Durban - SERVICE providers in the events industry say the coronavirus outbreak has had a major impact on business.

This comes after a number of couples were forced to cancel or postpone their weddings after President Cyril Ramaphosa said gatherings of more than 100 people were prohibited.

The owner of a catering service in Springfield Park, who declined to be named, said he had had three weddings cancelled.

“I had six functions this weekend. Three were cancelled because of the coronavirus. It’s hard for us because we now have to refund a portion of the money to our clients.

“We also find it hard because we generally plan and order items ahead of the function.

“We would already have ordered things like the rice and other ingredients for the meals. The only things we get fresh are the potatoes, onions and tomatoes. So now we are left with the stock.”

He said another client who was hosting a function this weekend had to drop the number of invited guests to 100 in order to comply with the president’s ban.

“Functions at Indian homes are generally between 200 and 600 people. It’s hard to just drop numbers even after planning for a certain amount. It’s even harder when you have been planning for a year or more and at the last minute you have to cut down, cancel or postpone.”

He said because of the disruption they were cash-strapped.

“At the moment we are running at a low because there is no income. We generally book a certain number of functions and stop taking bookings thereafter.”

Eresh Bhagwan from Bhagwan’s Caterers said two functions planned for the weekend were postponed.

“The weddings were not cancelled but they were postponed. Of course the bridal couple and family are disappointed but they have to comply with the president’s ban. I think it’s a good move because weddings generally have hundreds of people and the risk factor is huge.”

Bhagwan said generally if a function was on the weekend, he would start

buying items from Tuesday, but fortunately both weddings were postponed in time and he had not done any shopping yet.

Avikar Kalipershad, the owner of Peter’s Florist in Greyville, said one wedding was postponed and they were waiting for feedback on another that was scheduled for this weekend.

“The groom is checking with the City if he can have his wedding as he has about 300 guests and the president

said only 100 people are allowed together. Once he gets confirmation he will let me know and I will know how to go ahead.”

Kalipershad said while he kept his flowers fresh in a cold room he generally took a day or two to prepare the orders before the function.

At another florist in the Durban CBD the manager said there was a decline in the number of people visiting the shop.

“Normally we get about 50 people visiting the store but for the past month there’s fewer and fewer people coming in. It’s not just the flower business but also eateries that are affected.”

She said while they were still getting orders for deliveries to hospitals, they had cut down on their floral bouquets.

“Normally we send big bouquets to hospitals but hospitals are now

tighter on what they are allowing in so we have cut down on the size of the bouquets.”

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