JOHANNESBURG - Retailers are expected to operate as normal during Tuesday's planned nationwide protests.
However, disruptions are expected with many logistics companies not willing to risk moving goods on the day.
The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa’s Zinhle Tyikwe said people should expect limited services in some areas.
“There are anticipated delays that are going to happen there because there are anti-foreign sentiments that are with regard to that service.
“So members are concerned and they are advising uh the public to say if they want to use that service, they would rather maybe go directly to the shops or buy uh their services the day before the date of June.
“Because I think it is that sentiment so there's going to be limited services depending on the area as well. There have been provinces that have been identified as high risk, in particular, KZN, Gauteng, Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
“And those are the risks that are going to be really monitored and services in those areas or in those provinces will be limited.
“As a sector and the retail industry in particular, we are concerned that we do not want to see the same unrest in the 2021 July because that devastated the sector, devastated the country and the economy and caused major losses to infrastructure as well.
“We do not want to see that because incidents like that take the country backward. It does not help anyone because jobs are lost and people's lives are lost as well. The industry is really concerned to say those unrest that led to 2021 must not happen this time around.”