Business and Technology

Big online delivery delays in South Africa

South African online shoppers should expect delays in the deliveries of their orders in the coming days due to looting sprees and public violence in areas of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Couriers are among the businesses hit by the plundering, with warehouses being damaged, equipment stripped and vandalised, and customers’ packages being stolen.

The Courier Guy, DSV, and Value Logistics were among those who had their depots in Westmead in Durban looted.

In a notice on its website, The Courier Guy said it was running on skeleton staff at kiosks and branches in KwaZulu-Natal for the sake of their safety. Please note that all office equipment was also stolen so communication with the Durban branch is very limited,” the company said.

The tweet below shows the scene at the depot after the looting. The Courier Guy is a member of the South African Express Parcels Association (Saepa).

Saepa CEO Garry Marshall told MyBroadband it could take that depot around a month to be back up and running. In the broader picture, Marshall said the situation was serious.

“Durban is an absolute mess, many of our members have had their places burnt, certainly looted,” he stated. While there have been no reports of damage to the depots of courier partners in Gauteng, a number of prominent businesses in the provinces that use courier services have closed their doors as a precaution.

“It is confined mostly to Durban and Gauteng, in the rest of the country none of our members is reporting any issues at all, they are all saying it’s very quiet,” Marshall said.

Despite the impact being limited to these areas, Marshall said the situation was disrupting supply chains, which would have a bigger impact on services across the country.
The looting has also jeopardised South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout, with certain Covid-19 vaccination sites in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng forced to close due to the unrest.

Marshall said it was fortunate that vaccines were mostly moved by air, eliminating the risk of looting during transit. However, he warned it’s possible that more organised syndicates would exploit the chaotic circumstances to plunder high-value targets, which could include Covid-19 vaccines.

In other news – Violence in SA: Death toll climbs to 72, over 1,200 arrested

The death toll from looting and protests has risen to at least 72. The number of people arrested is now over 1,200. The police say a number of people died during stampedes when looters attacked shopping centres.

President Cyril Ramaphosa

There are growing calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a state of emergency in KwaZulu-Natal, but the security cluster insists this isn’t necessary. Learn more

Source: Mybroadband