Voices were raised in peaceful protest across South Africa as restaurant owners and employees took to the streets to show their displeasure with the actions of the national government during lockdown.

With slogans such as “Mr President, we invite you to take any empty seat,” “No shifts means no tips” and “One million seats on the streets,” the #jobssavelives movement built up momentum within a week’s time.

Restaurants gathered behind the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA) and placed their tables and chairs in streets or on the sidewalks outside of their restaurants on Wednesday, 22 July.

In Krugersdorp, the Coffee Cabin’s staff moved into their parking area, putting up signs and serving customers in full view of passers-by on Voortrekker Road from noon to 2pm.

Owner Natasha Rizzo said that they were fairly lucky that they haven’t been forced to let any of their staff go, but that since March their sales have taken a nosedive by at least three-quarters.

“Business is down by a lot. Takeaways were doing well, but have dropped recently,” she mentioned, explaining that since a few weeks ago it seems that people are generally too afraid to go out and do things, or even to order a food delivery from her restaurant and others like hers. Natasha thinks it might have something to do with the recent rise in Covid-19 cases in South Africa.

With stringent health regulations in place, requiring that all surfaces are sanitized regularly, menus are laminated, and masks and gloves are worn at all times, Natasha believes that their restaurant is as safe as can be for sit-down meals and coffee. They use the services of Mr Delivery which has its own strict health guidelines when delivering food.

As Natasha noted, with lockdown regulations being what they are, it’s difficult to get customers through the door, which affects the restaurant’s bottom line, staff’s salaries and every participant down the line – from producers, to distributors, delivery services and even the advertising sector.