The looting of businesses has forced several big retailers to shut shop in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
Factories were burnt down in Pietermaritzburg by protesters as #FreeJacobZuma protests escalated on Monday.
Big banks and retail groups announced that they would suspend operations in KZN and parts of Gauteng after huge looting of shopping malls and other businesses on Monday.
Nedbank, in a statement to Sowetan on Monday, said it has decided to “temporarily close” 196 branches and 52 outlets at Boxer Supermarkets due to the escalation in violent protests.
“This includes all KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng branches. The safety of our staff and clients is a priority, and we are monitoring the situation closely,” Nedbank said.
One of the country's biggest supermarket chains, the Shoprite Group, said several of its stores in the two provinces “are unable to trade due to the mayhem and extensive damage caused over the past 24 hours, affecting the livelihoods of millions of law-abiding citizens”.
Pick n Pay said in a statement: “The safety of our customers and staff is always our priority, and, as a precaution, we have temporarily closed a number of stores in the affected areas. It is too early to give an assessment of the trading and financial affect, but our stores continue to be open and trading in areas not affected by the disruption.”
Power utility Eskom said it would temporarily suspend services in parts of Gauteng.
“Eskom conducts its business with the principle that 'no operating condition, or urgency of service, justifies exposing anyone to negative risks arising out of Eskom’s business or cause them injury or damage to the environment'.
“The safety of our employees and contractors remains our number one priority and a major concern and it is with that we have decided to suspend all services that will require our employees and contractors to enter areas that will put their lives at risk,” Eskom said in a statement.
National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Sabelo Macingwane said: “The people who will feel the most affect are township, semiurban and rural areas residents who will now have to travel far to buy basic goods, to collect grants and to access other services.”
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