Curated beverages, high-end fashion clothing and business documents swept away at flood-prone Molapo Crossing
TLOTLO KEBINAKGABO
The heavy rains that swept through Gaborone last week left many businesses at Molapo Crossing Mall grappling with significant losses.
Boutique beverage retailer, Bartender, and fashion outlet specialising in vintage clothing, Oraylio’s Vintage Store, were among the hardest hit.
For Bartender, a 100-percent citizen-owned company established in 2021, the damage was severe. The store – which prides itself on offering a curated selection of beverages and bar essentials – suffered extensive losses to its refrigeration systems, stock and operating infrastructure.
Many steps back
“Our losses add up to P100,000 or more,” said owner Kabo Moitoi. “It’s the most unfortunate thing because we are a start up still trying to find our feet. And when something like this happens, it pushes us many steps back.
“This is a business with employees who need to be paid. It’s just sad for us. But at the end of the day, this is the nature of business – though no one ever imagines running losses this way.”
Oraylio’s Vintage Store also bore the brunt of the flooding. The shop, known for its carefully curated collection of vintage apparel, suffered catastrophic stock losses, leaving its owner reeling from the impact.
Vulnerability
“Almost all my stock – clothes I recently bought worth over P50,000 – was swept away by the floods,” said Oraylio Ayitiah, the store owner. “There were also essential documents and other important things that were washed away.
“It’s very stressful, but I do not want to engage in the matter further because I’m yet to meet with the owner of the mall to see how we can best assist each other. It is very sad.”
The unexpected disaster underscores the vulnerability of small businesses to extreme weather conditions, particularly in areas prone to flooding. While business owners work to recover from their losses, questions linger about preventive measures that could mitigate future incidents.
Reached for a comment on whether they will help businesses in the mall mitigate their losses, the owner of Molapo Crossing, Luc Vandecasteele, said: “I cannot say more on the matter, but this obviously and issue that we are discussing with the insurance to see how best they can assist. They are currently making assessments, and once that is done, we will have a clearer picture.”
He also noted that they are in talks with the government to find the best solutions for addressing the flooding in the area.