KZN counts cost of June 30 protests as freight sector warns disruptions may have cost R100m

By Lebone Rodah Mosima

KwaZulu-Natal is still assessing the economic cost of the June 30 national marches, Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli said on Thursday, after protests over undocumented migration were followed in some areas by looting, business closures and attacks on foreign-owned shops.

“The assessment is being done, and we will issue a statement in respect of this,” Ntuli said when asked about the financial impact of the protests.

While the provincial government has not yet put a figure to the losses, Road Freight Association CEO Gavin Kelly said the logistics sector had already absorbed significant costs linked to the day’s disruption.

“Perhaps, if you add the full cost of all the extra security, extra shifts, extended warehousing and control, delayed trips (especially from ports or across borders), paid days for employees told to stay at home (just in case) – the sector may have incurred a hundred million rand, or