An increase in serious crime in Empangeni, particularly at Empangeni Rail, is impacting investor confidence and leaving business owners and employees feeling unsafe.

The business community is still reeling from the brutal attack, three weeks ago, when SA Bedding owner, Jay Moodley and his son, Ashlin, were gunned down in an alleged attempted robbery.

Ashlin succumbed to his injuries shortly after arriving at hospital, with Jay passing away last Saturday night.

One local business owner, who asked not to be named, said he had worked with Jay for four years and was rattled by the attack.

‘Just a day later, another business was held up and robbed. At this point, we don’t know if we could be next. We already suffered major losses due to the lockdown, and now we have to deal with theft and paying for extra security. Many of us cannot even afford to pay our staff a decent salary.’

The Zululand Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairperson, Thami Sithole, said the country has experienced an increase in crime, particularly murder, assault, and robbery.

‘Our district has not been immune to such crime, which negatively affects the community and businesses at large,’ he said.

‘With a Gini coefficient of 0.6 in the district, and an increase of four per cent in unemployment, we are facing increased crime. The district and law enforcement agencies are working tirelessly to improve the situation.’

Sithole said the challenges were compounded by the fact that business was slow owing to the global impact of Covid-19.

However, government and the private sector were looking at ways to boost job creation through investment.

‘Crime will have some impact on the appetite for investors, however, the district has some investments lined up that should improve the sentiment regarding stability in the area.’

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