Approximately 35 restaurants protested against lockdown restrictions along Plein Street, in Stellenbosch, on 22 July.
Protesters from the hospitality sector standing in solidarity against the current lockdown regulations. PHOTO: Victoria O’Regan.
“We feel as if we have been backstabbed by the government.”
This was according to Edo Heyns, spokesperson for L’Avenir Wine Estate and member on the board of Stellenbosch Wine Routes.
Heyns was one of the peaceful protesters contesting the lockdown restrictions imposed by the government and its effects on the hospitality sector.
The countrywide protest, “Million Seats on the Streets”, was organised by the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA).
The protest comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a 04:00 – 21:00 curfew and a second ban on the sale of alcohol, to take pressure off of the health-care system, on 12 July.
“There is no other country in the world that still has draconian alcohol regulations – and, it is time to change,” Heyns said.
The table at the end of Plein Street, illustrated the empty seats in South African restaurants at present. Protesters were calling for the President to take a seat and have a conversation about the economic implications of lockdown restrictions. PHOTO: Victoria O’Regan.
According to Bertus Basson, local chef and one of the organisers of the protest in Stellenbosch, protesters were asking government to relook the restrictions because “#jobssavelives”.
“Just as [the industry] had seen a glimmer of hope, we got dumped back into the crisis,” said Basson.
Basson said that although the protesters understood the impact of Covid-19, the economic effects of the lockdown restrictions on the hospitality industry were callous.
Jobs are on the line
Out of 64 full-time employees, Basson could only bring 17 employees back to work across his four local restaurants, which includes Spek & Bone.
“We have had to let go of 51 people, which is crazy. And, that is why we are here,” Basson said.
Current estimates show that 30% of restaurants in South Africa have already closed down permanently, said Basson.
“You can imagine where we are going to be seven to eight weeks from now,” he said.
‘Stifling restrictions’
L’Avenir Wine Estate has had to rely completely on the export market to avoid retrenching employees, said Heyns.
“There are about 300 000 jobs alone in the Western Cape that rely completely on the wine industry. This is massive. [The lockdown restrictions] are stifling one of the biggest creators of employment in the Western Cape,” Heyns said.
One protester, Aviv Liebenberg, had recently been retrenched from his job at Rueben’s in Sandton, Johannesburg. But, according to Liebenberg, he would have still had a job with fewer restrictions.
“We are standing here in solidarity. We’re a very resilient industry. We want to fight for what is right for us so that we can sustain our jobs,” Liebenberg said.
Staff from L’Avenir Wine Estate, together with several other protesters in the restaurant industry, joined the protest to emphasize that #jobssavelives.
PHOTO: Victoria O’Regan.