Dear Editor,
How much more destruction can Durban’s economy take? How many more businesses must close, how many more jobs must be placed at risk, and how many more livelihoods must be destroyed before we realise that violence and lawlessness are pushing our city further towards economic collapse?
The recent marches in Durban’s CBD, including those involving the March and March movement, have once again raised serious questions about the price ordinary South Africans are being forced to pay for unrest.
Shops have been forced to close, businesses have been looted, vehicles have been set alight and buildings have been damaged by fire. Business owners who opened their doors expecting to earn an honest living have instead been left counting their losses, wondering how they will recover.
But the question nobody seems to be asking loudly enough is: who is going to pay for all this?
Who compensates the shop owner who has lost thousands of rands in stock? Who replaces the vehicles that were burnt? Who pays for the buildings that have been damaged or destroyed? And who reimburses the businesses that have lost days of trading because they were forced to close out of fear for their safety?
Even when a business escapes physical damage, the financial consequences can be devastating.
A shop that closes for a day still has rent to pay. There are salaries, electricity bills, insurance, stock purchases, loan repayments and suppliers waiting to be paid. Those expenses do not disappear simply because protesters have brought the city to a standstill.
And what about the employees?
Many workers depend on their jobs to feed their families, pay school fees, cover transport costs and keep a roof over their heads. Some survive on daily wages or commissions. When businesses cannot operate, their income and job security are threatened.
One business closing does not affect only its owner. It affects employees, suppliers, transport operators and the families who depend on those incomes. The financial damage spreads far beyond the business premises.
We constantly hear about South Africa’s unemployment crisis. We hear demands for more jobs, better opportunities and economic growth. Yet how can we expect businesses to create employment when they cannot even operate safely?
Who will invest in Durban when businesses risk being looted or burnt? Who will open a new shop, expand an existing operation or employ more people when the threat of violence hangs over the city?
We are destroying the very businesses and economic activity that our communities depend on for survival.
The irony is that some of these protests are being held in the name of protecting South African jobs and opportunities. But how does shutting down businesses protect jobs? How does looting a shop create employment? How does setting a building on fire improve the economy?
You cannot claim to be fighting unemployment while destroying the businesses that provide employment.
There is nothing wrong with demanding that government enforce immigration laws. Citizens have every right to raise concerns about undocumented immigration, unemployment and the pressures facing our country.
But those concerns do not give anyone the right to intimidate business owners, force shops to close, enter private property, steal goods or destroy infrastructure.
That is not a solution. It is criminal behaviour.
It is also important to recognise that not every person participating in a march is responsible for violence. Those who protest peacefully should not be confused with individuals who use unrest as an opportunity to steal, intimidate or destroy. However, anyone responsible for such criminal acts must be identified and held accountable.
The government also has serious questions to answer.
Why are businesses repeatedly being placed in a position where they have to close their doors for fear of being attacked? What measures are being taken to protect business owners, workers and customers? And what support will be available to those who have suffered losses through no fault of their own?
The right to peaceful protest is protected by our Constitution, but so too are the rights of ordinary people to conduct their businesses lawfully and live without intimidation.
Government cannot stand by while economic activity is disrupted and private property is destroyed. Law enforcement must act decisively and within the law to prevent violence, protect businesses and bring those responsible for criminal acts to justice.
Durban is already battling enormous economic challenges. Businesses are struggling with rising operating costs, weak consumer spending, failing infrastructure and ongoing service delivery problems. Many are fighting simply to keep their doors open.
The last thing this city needs is another reason for businesses to close, investors to withdraw or employers to reduce their workforce.
And we must remember that the financial consequences do not end when the protesters leave the streets. Burnt buildings must be repaired, stolen stock replaced, damaged premises secured and customers persuaded to return. Some businesses may never reopen.
The march may last a few hours, but the financial damage can last for years.
We should be demanding answers from government about unemployment, immigration enforcement, crime and economic growth. We should be demanding policies that attract investment, support businesses and create sustainable jobs.
Instead, the destruction is making our problems worse.
Durban cannot afford to become a city where business owners wake up every morning wondering whether it will be safe to open their doors.
We must ask ourselves what kind of future we are creating when anger is allowed to turn into destruction, and when the very economy we need to rebuild is being damaged in the process.
If we keep destroying the businesses that create jobs, what jobs will be left for the people we claim to be fighting for?
It is time for government to restore law and order, for those responsible for violence to face the consequences, and for communities to recognise that destroying livelihoods will never build a better South Africa.
Because when the shops are burnt, the jobs are lost and the businesses close for good, it is not just the business owners who suffer.
It is the entire community that pays the price.
Yours sincerely,
Concerned South African
