Johannesburg - THE CITY of Joburg has strongly condemned the ongoing acts of violence, looting and the unnecessary destruction of property and infrastructure in the city.
Economic Development MMC Lawrence Khoza on Tuesday said he noted with concern acts of lawlessness in various parts of Joburg.
“These acts of violence happen at the time when the city is registering positive economic trends after months of economic decline as the result of the Covid-19 pandemic and negative economic growth,” Khoza said.
He said the city, country and the world at large were still battling the pandemic with the fast-spreading Delta variant putting unimaginable strain on the limited resources.
“As the City focuses on the current roll-out of vaccination plans across all the seven regions in the City of Joburg, the city would like to focus all its efforts and resources to the recovery of its economy,” he said.
“These disruptive tendencies, behaviour and activities are not helping the current economic environment. Big business, SMMEs and co-operatives are going to suffer and possibly be liquidated as a result of these unfortunate acts of violence and looting,” Khoza said.
He added that in a metro characterised by high levels of unemployment, the current wave of looting and violence would only lead to more people losing their jobs.
“The City will continue to build an inclusive economy that benefits all the citizens and economic stakeholders in the city. The city believes that shared growth can only be achieved in an environment that is attractive to investment.
“Such an environment would create the fiscal space and business opportunities to spend on empowering SMMEs, co-operatives, youth, women and people with disabilities. The looting of businesses simply chases businesses away and forces many to close shop – leading to job losses and non-creation of new jobs.
“The City will not tolerate looting and damage to property of any kind, and calls upon law enforcement agencies to act firmly and expeditiously against lawlessness and economic disruption.
“The City commends the presence and visibility of law enforcement agencies. It is our expectation that their efforts will help deal effectively with the current acts of lawlessness and bring much-needed normality in the city’s economy,” he said.
The City urges all residents to immediately report any criminal activity to the police and the Joburg metro police on 086 00 10111 and 0800 002 587, respectively.
The Star