Hair salon disappears into big hole

WHEN Ruth Tjijenda, owner of Salon Esperanca, wanted to open her business yesterday morning as she had done for the past four years, she got a nasty surprise.

The back wall of her salon had collapsed into a huge hole and half of her salon and equipment were at the bottom of the hole. The salon is situated just off Independence Avenue, behind Die Meubelmark.The hole was excavated for the construction of a four-storey underground parking garage and a 13-storey office building.Construction started about three weeks ago and Tjijenda says she has spoken to representatives of the construction company, telling them that “the earth was moving each time the bulldozers moved”.According to her, another wall further down the street collapsed a week ago and the construction company had ensured her that this would not happen to her salon.She had planned to continue doing business from the building until June, when it will be torn down to make way for a hotel.Now Tjijenda and her six employees are uncertain about their future.The salon is situated just off Independence Avenue, behind Die Meubelmark.The hole was excavated for the construction of a four-storey underground parking garage and a 13-storey office building.Construction started about three weeks ago and Tjijenda says she has spoken to representatives of the construction company, telling them that “the earth was moving each time the bulldozers moved”. According to her, another wall further down the street collapsed a week ago and the construction company had ensured her that this would not happen to her salon.She had planned to continue doing business from the building until June, when it will be torn down to make way for a hotel.Now Tjijenda and her six employees are uncertain about their future.