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Owner of Steers and Wimpy says almost 100 restaurants attacked by looters

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Steers in Umgeni Road, Durban, on fire on 13 July.
Steers in Umgeni Road, Durban, on fire on 13 July.
Gallo Images/Darren Stewart

Famous Brands, which operates the Steers and Wimpy fast-food restaurants in South Africa, says 99 of its restaurants have been damaged during the past week's looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

The majority of the affected restaurants were in KwaZulu-Natal.

Its logistics facility in Westmead, KwaZulu-Natal, has been damaged and is currently closed. "But [it is] repairable once we have access to the area," the company said.

"Furthermore, a large number of stores are not trading currently due to safety concerns and trading activity remains subdued."

Restaurants were allowed to reopen for sit-down patrons on Monday, for the first time in two weeks.

Eateries could only serve takeaways and deliveries when South Africa returned to level 4 of the national lockdown last month. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday night that restaurants could reopen, but by Monday violence erupted in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, another.

Restaurants have been among the hardest-hit industries during the pandemic, as long lockdowns and a recurring ban on alcohol sales hit their income. The latest data from Statistics SA show that restaurants' income from food and beverages in February was still 30% below pre-pandemic levels. In January, their income was half that of the same month in 2020.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Price said that 109 - around 7% - of its stores have been "entirely looted". More than a tenth of Cashbuild's stores have also been attacked.

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