PARTS OF DURBAN IN RUINS
AFTER a week of unrest that saw businesses looted and burnt to ashes, scores of residents and shop owners in the Durban CBD were yesterday assessing the scale of the damage.
While looting continued in some parts of the city, in many places residents queued for several hours for food, fuel and essential items. Clean-up operations were also visible in the CBD as volunteers came out in numbers.
The Durban CBD and Springfield Park area resembled war zones as torched vehicles, including a police vehicle, lined the deserted streets.
EThekwini firefighters were still extinguishing fires which had broke out in Springfield Industrial Park, where many of the businesses were completely wiped out.
The owner of a meat factory in Springfield Park, who declined to be interviewed after saying he was shocked by the scale of the damage to the building and equipment, said the remaining portion of the stock was being collected from the torched factory and was going to be sent to an old age home and orphanage.
Residents also came out in numbers to clean up at Springfield Park, pledging their support for the Durban Solid Waste team.
Faraaz Khan of Sydenham said he had never imagined that such a thingwould happen in this country.
Khan, who owns a small shop in The
Workshop Centre, said even though his shop was also looted and burnt, he was determined to rebuild it.
“To see our country like this, it’s sad. The family business has been in existence for more than 30 years. My kids can’t sleep at night because there have been a number of gunshots being fired every night.
“We stood for more than four hours, just to get fuel. This is uncalled-for, but it’s something we hope is going to pass,” said Khan.
Another business owner, Mathew Smith, said he had not yet started with the clean-up to his business due to insurance processes.
“I haven’t touched the place. I employed over 100 people in my place and they all saw what happened, we have just got to wait and see what we have to do to revive the business.
“Many of them do fear for their jobs, and the reality is that they will probably stay at home for months without pay,” said Smith.
A resident in the Durban CBD, Thulisiwe Ngcamu, said the impact of the riots and looting was already being felt by many.
A teacher by profession, Ngcamu said food was already in short supply at home and she was waiting to get paid.
“It’s fascinating how life can just change in front of you, in just a few days? I can’t even get food, let alone fuel. I have a young child that needs milk and Pampers, they are nowhere to be found. The looting did not quell poverty, it simply made it worse,” she said.