The photograph of a petrol tanker being stolen by looters was one of the first to emerge when unrest and looting broke out in Durban in July last year.

Darin Samuels, MD of the Samuels Groups, watched helplessly as the tanker was driven away and his warehouse in Cornubia, north of Durban, went up in flames.

A year and R8.9m later, the warehouse officially reopened.

“The rebuilding process was not only about rebuilding physical infrastructure. It was also about mending relations between communities. As a proudly South African business, we are cognisant there is more that unites us as South Africans than that which divides us. This is why, when we started rebuilding, we ensured people from the Cornubia settlement were given first priority.

“We did this with the knowledge that some of those people may have been involved in the looting spree of July 2021. It is our belief that some people who took part in the looting were driven by poverty and the hopelessness it brings. It was therefore crucial these communities were brought on board throughout the rebuilding process so they felt they were part of the bigger cause,” said Samuels.

The group in Cornubia, which specialises in the marketing and distribution of petroleum products, was among the first businesses to be attacked when looting spread throughout KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng.  

The company resumed its operations within four days of the looting. However, rebuilding the warehouse took 10 months.

During that time 25 additional people were employed and almost R1.3m was paid to casual workers.

“It is our duty as businesses to help in alleviating the jobs crisis the country faces. We are playing our part and implore our counterparts to do the same,” said Samuels.

The group employs more than 900 people throughout the country.

“All the 900 jobs were not affected by Covid-19 and the July 2021 civil unrest. We had to engage in creative strategies to ensure jobs were protected. One of the things we did was to relocate some employees to other sites while we embarked on the process of restoring the warehouse to its full capacity. The livelihoods of our employees and communities, in general, remain our number one priority,” said Samuels.

TimesLIVE