KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala estimates that more than R3-billion of infrastructure has been damaged so far in the province, as looting and protests continue.
Warehouses and shopping centres, in particular, have been affected, with the hardest hit areas being the districts of Msunduzi and eThekwini which are "the nucleus of the economy" of KwaZulu-Natal.
The Premier has visited a number of areas that have been left devastated and that have suffered destruction and looting over the past few days.”
“The damage that we have seen with our own eyes is massive and we can safely say it amounts to several billions in damage to property and looted stock.”
He says the destruction will lead to massive job losses.
“The looting has to stop, and it has to stop now; this destruction is going to increase unemployment in the province of KwaZulu-Natal and the country. This destruction is going to deter investors from investing in capital and infrastructure," he states.