The Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business (PMCB) has warned that recent protest actions targeting local businesses are unlawful and harmful to the economy. Save Hyper on Victoria Street was disrupted on Sunday in what businesses describe as an escalating pattern of protests and operational disruptions in Pietermaritzburg’s CBD. Last week, members of a labour and civic organisation aligned to the MK Party protested outside Daymed Private Hospital and SuperSave.
Following that incident, Daymed Private Hospital obtained an urgent interdict against the organisation, restraining its members from entering its property, disrupting operations and intimidating staff and patients. On Sunday, the group gathered outside Save Hyper supermarket, saying they were addressing complaints and grievances raised by employees. The disruption resulted in the store closing shortly before midday, with a heavy police and private security presence at the scene.
Speaking to The Witness, Laco chairperson Moeketsi Mahasela said they were protesting over grievances shared by employees at the store. We told him that we would meet with the employees of the store, which was last Thursday. When we arrived at the store, we found that there were more than 60 foreign national employees and they were not fired but rather given leave for seven days to finalise their documentation.
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We have found that there are employees who have been working for more than 16 years at the store and they are still employed by the agent. “There are multiple grievances that we have heard from the employees, some of them relate to salary, working conditions and working hours,” alleged Mahasela. uMgungundlovu District police spokesperson Sergeant Sifiso Gwala said Public Order Policing (POP) members responded to the scene and found more than 200 people gathered outside the store.
Gwala said police were informed that negotiations were expected to take place between the group and the store owner to address their grievances. “The police are monitoring the situation to ensure public order is maintained and that no unlawful behaviour occurs. At this stage, no cases of assault or other unlawful conduct have been reported to police,” he said.
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