- The preliminary cost of damages from looting and unrest in Gauteng is R3.5 billion.
- This was revealed by the Gauteng Premier David Makhura on Friday.
- Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal were most affected by the recent unrest.
The preliminary estimate of the cost of damage following the unrest and looting in Gauteng is R3.5 billion, Premier David Makhura revealed on Friday.
"The unrest has had a very terrible impact on the Gauteng economy. So far, the preliminary estimation is that the cost in rand terms, the damage caused by the unrest, is R3.5 billion.
"A lot of this is in stock that would have been looted and the destruction that has happened," Makhura said.
He was speaking during a virtual briefing on Friday, which presented an update on the economic reconstruction and recovery plan in Gauteng following the recent violent protests which led to the destruction and looting of businesses in some parts of the province.
Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal were most affected by the recent unrest and looting.
The violent protests resulted in some malls being destroyed and ransacked by looters.
One mall notably was the Pan Africa Mall in the Alexandra township in Johannesburg, which was left unrecognisable after a night of looting.
News24 earlier reported that upon visiting the area, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola described the events as "serious crimes" and "clear economic sabotage" against the people of this country.
Makhura - in his virtual address - said the preliminary R3.5-billion figure did not include a lot of the uninsured township-based businesses.
"How many jobs have been affected so far? 14 500 jobs have been affected by the unrest. In other words, we have had a significant number of people, a lot of them have still not resumed duty because of the repairs [that are] still happening," he said.
He added that of the 500 malls/shopping centres in the province, 30 were affected by the looting - in the townships of Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg, three areas in Tshwane, one area in the West Rand, and two areas in Sedibeng.
"No factories were damaged, or any other infrastructure that was attacked or damaged outside of the retail infrastructures [but] small businesses such as spaza shops and informal traders were severely affected," Makhura said.
The Gauteng would make economic interventions to help rebuild the province in this regard, he said.