Orlando Pirates’ treble-winning captain Lucky Lekgwathi was left heartbroken after his fast food shop in Kliptown was destroyed by looters. Picture: Twitter
The looting has devastated many businesses and the restaurant industry like many is still trying to get back on its feet due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.
As malls and properties were hit by looting and destruction in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, former Orlando Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi saw his restaurant in Kliptown, Soweto ransacked.
Pictures emerged on social media of Lekgwathi standing in front of his Grootman restaurant, a victim of the lawlessness in Gauteng.
Speaking to The Citizen Amy Scottland, owner of Humble Coffee in Durban, says her coffee shop has been closed since Monday. She decided to stay closed on Tuesday as a precautionary measure. Scottland didn’t at first want to believe the fearmongering.
“We were forced to close by our landlord, they insisted we close as the protests were occurring in the Empangeni area nearby.”
As owners, they were hearing a lot of stories being shared among themselves, fearing they could be the next in line.
“We have six employees now without work, we also have to throw out stock that can’t be used. Restaurants were excited for the reopening of sit-downs to meet customers again but this has set us back again.” She says they will assess the situation and make a decision when to reopen.
Known as the destination for one of the best kotas in Gauteng, Kota King SA in Protea Glen closed its doors for lack of stock. Owner Rhulani Shiambo said a nearby mall was burnt down on Monday less than 2km from his restaurant. However, he decided to stay open as people were still ordering food.
“We ran out of stock for Tuesday, as we couldn’t source any stock anywhere. It has hurt the business as we really wanted to operate but safety comes first.”
Many small bakeries and restaurants in KZN took the decision to prioritise their staff safety by closing shop. These include Doughnut Girls and Wicked Girl doughnuts in Durban.