Durban - Factories targeted by rioters on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast earlier this month are still counting the cost - and 2 000 workers at one torched business are “crying” for their jobs back.
“But I cannot tell them when they will return. We are still waiting for the insurers to finalise everything before we start rebuilding,” said Shadrack Shange, the production manager of the Distinctive Clothing factory at the iSithebe Industrial Estate.
Although the situation in the area was now calm, the ripple effects of the intimidation and violence had hit the pockets of the 2 000 laid-off workers who had no money to go away at Easter “or even attend church”, Shange said.
“It is now the month-end. How will they pay their rent? They could face eviction,” he added.
The Chinese-owned factory, the biggest clothing business at the estate outside Mandini - owned by the Ithala Development Finance Corporation - was targeted by four arsonists during the costly riots.
Bombs
The attack followed incidents in which trucks were set alight and petrol bombs thrown.
Some factories were burnt and others stoned.
Factory bosses received threats that if they continued operating, the protesters would get into the factories and kill workers.
“We had to let workers out, otherwise the factories would be burned and the workers attacked,” said Peter Lee, manager of the Golf Biscuit Factory.
Extra police were sent in, factory owners stepped up their security and production came to a standstill for at least a week, costing businesses millions in lost production, while workers lost wages.
One Chinese-owned factory, Southpoint Industries, which employs 1 000 people and manufactures industrial bags for a variety of sectors, was closed for two weeks and suffered R10 million in lost production.
Some owners spend nights at their factories to keep an eye on their businesses.
One factory, Ronglida, which manufactures a wide range of plastic goods, suffered R3m in lost production and also had to pay a penalty to a big new customer for the non-delivery of a consignment, which had been widely advertised as being available.
The rioters were angry that a former mayor had been nominated as a candidate in the forthcoming local elections.
More than 100 people were arrested for public violence, and Shange said when they were not released, four protesters set fire to Distinctive Clothing Factory.
Yesterday, the consul-general of China in Durban, Jianzhou Wang, was at the factory during a fact-finding visit to some of the 31 Chinese-owned businesses at the estate.
“What they have done here is shocking. How can these people do such a thing?” he asked.
“The Chinese factories have nothing to do with the protesters’ issues.
“Some people don’t realise the contribution Chinese investors make to the social and economic development of KZN and the jobs they create.”
Wang praised Shange for having the courage to act quickly to prevent even more damage at the factory.
When Shange heard it had been set alight, he raced to the scene and opened all the windows and doors - and was confronted by the arsonists who wanted to know why he was stopping them from burning the factory.
They threatened to shoot him, but he told them he could not let them burn the factory because “where will I work tomorrow?”.
He grabbed a hosepipe and tried to douse the flames, which eventually brought down the roof in one part of the factory, with the devastation continuing into the trimming and cutting rooms.
It took three hours for firefighters to extinguish the flames and the water from the hoses damaged some of the finished clothing.
Now, some of their customers have taken away fabric to give to other manufacturers to complete.
“They cannot wait for us to get back into production. Seven hundred rolls of fabric were taken last week and more fabric will be removed today,” Shange said.
The four arsonists have not been arrested, but Shange is hopeful they will be picked up once they are identified from the CCTV footage.
SAPS spokesman, Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala, said on Tuesday that KwaSithebe was calm and police were monitoring the situation. About 117 suspects appeared in court two weeks ago and were released on a warning. They will appear again on June 2 in the Mthunzini Magistrate’s Court.
However, some factory owners remain worried that the troubles could flare up again.
Shadrack Shange, left, the production manager at the Distinctive Clothing factory in iSithebe, surveys the destruction caused by a petrol bomb.
Daily News
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