KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala on Saturday tabled plans to rebuild the province’s economy and boost investor confidence following last week’s civil unrest.
The province was hard hit when protests calling for the release of former President Jacob Zuma from prison took a violent turn, and thousands of shops were looted.
Its economic hub, eThekwini was the epicentre of the pillage and it’s anticipated that the city could lose as much as R20 billion of its GDP as a result.
It’s estimated that 129,000 jobs are on the line in eThekwini alone, following mass lootings and violent protests that claimed over 300 lives nationwide.
Costs were still being calculated nationally, but it was clear that the violence resulted in damages amounting to billions of rand.
Selwyn Pillay, a small business owner from Umkomaas south of Durban, said he lost over R5.5 million worth of assets after his two furniture shops and a warehouse were ransacked.
“We don’t intend reopening any time soon, probably sometime in October we will consider that. Right now we are still reeling from the shock and the aftermath and still dealing with this tragedy to our town.”
Zikalala said his address would outline plans to support business owners like Pillay.
In other news – VIDEO: Man punches Gogo and runs away
Cops in New York City have launched a manhunt for a man seen on video punching a 60-year-old woman in the back of her head while inside a train station.
According to Washington Examiner, the incident happened around 10 pm on Thursday, 15 July, at Grand Central subway station. Learn More
