Business storm damage R400-500m

BUSINESSES owners in Durban have been hard hit by the storm that ravaged the city and environs on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry said an insurance company had reported that losses due to infrastructure damage from this week’s destructive storm could amount to between R400m and R500m, an estimate that includes uninsured losses.

The chamber said businesses south of Durban were severely affected, including vehicle manufacturer Toyota.

Isipingo retailers were also badly affected by the storm and were still busy with mop-up operations yesterday.

Shop owners in Phila Ndwandwe Road were yesterday still counting stock losses and damage to equipment.

A businessman, who did not want to be named, said his tyre store began to flood from mid-morning on Tuesday. A company vehicle was also washed into a canal behind the store. The force of the water brought down a retaining wall that fenced off his property from the Pilgrim railway line.

He added that looters were quick to steal tyres that swept out of the workshop floor when the wall broke down.

Cleaning up

“My staff today are busy cleaning out the workshop, this will delay operations for quite a while, fortunately my staff are on hand for the cleaning process, so no one will be out of work,” he said.

He estimated the damage to run into the thousands, and was awaiting a report from the insurance assessors.

Premier Willies Mchunu said yesterday that government was aware that the storm had a major impact on the business sector ,but the cost of the damage had not yet been quantified. He said the provincial government would be engaging with businesses to find out about these costs.

Production manager at Pandu Paper Products Manoj Sathanand was still busy with the workers, cleaning sludge out of the premises yesterday.

Although parts of the factory were badly damaged, he and the staff were able to salvage some of the paper reels.

“We will fortunately still be able to meet our clients’ orders, despite the amount of damage to our machinery and factory floor,” he said, adding that looters had raided the Party Shop store when the heavy rains subsided on Tuesday.

General dealer Fahim Jamadar was also in the process of cleaning out his store, but explained that they weren’t able to salvage much of the stock, as a paraffin tank in the yard had burst during the storm and had contaminated a huge quantity of food.

Jamadar and other business owners said the drainage system in the area was inadequate, which made it prone to flooding during heavy rains.

The chamber said a number of businesses had been forced to cease operations as a result of damaged property.

“Small businesses may not have adequate insurance to recover the losses ... If these losses are not recovered over time, the local economy can suffer significantly.”

The chamber said it was adopting a two-pronged approach to provide support to local businesses and communities, and is setting up a Disaster Relief call centre for businesses to report their needs. It is also running a collection drive for food, clothing and building supplies for vulnerable affected communities. Items can be dropped off at the chamber offices at Lion Match Office Park, 892 Umgeni Road and Pick n Pay stores.