The South African Breweries (SAB) says it is saddened by the violent looting and protests that have spread throughout parts of the country in recent days, which saw violence and the destruction of businesses, homes and the loss of lives.
Considering that this has created a dark chapter in the nation’s history that will not be forgotten, SAB is appealing to government and all social partners to step up, lead and help the country during these turbulent times.
The response to date has been inadequate, the SAB says, stating that “citizens deserve better”.
At SAB, the looting spread through its Pietermaritzburg depot and countless distributors, with retailers across the country left bare in the rampage. This, on top of four total alcohol bans, further threatens the lives and livelihoods of people and the volatile sustainability of the alcohol industry, it states.
The cumulative impact of destruction filters into thousands of township businesses, ranging from liquor stores, taverns, distributors, restaurants, security services, cleaners and logistics companies who have been left devastated by the last week’s unrest.
“These are the people who we are lending our voices to at this time,” SAB says.
It further notes that South Africa has not done enough to ensure the country is “well on its way to economic recovery”, and that the country is struggling with high unemployment with the violence a further setback to progress.
As an organisation, SAB continues to play its part, which it says is evidenced by its investment plans of R2-billion for the 2022 fiscal year.
“However, we also believe that every business, community and citizen has a role to play in helping us rebuild and recover. Now is a time to come together. Now is the time for peace. Now is the time for our humanity to endure.
“We’ve done it before, and we can do it again. We need to rebuild and prove not only to the world, but to ourselves, that we are better than this. We will all be judged by our actions, so let them speak volumes in the weeks, months and years ahead.”
SAB says it is determined to fast-track economic recovery through focused empowerment of its value chain and communities and is, therefore, open to doing crew interviews at the depot in KwaZulu-Natal.