South African SMEs suffering debilitating losses due to the load-shedding crisis have warned the government that tensions in the retail sector are escalating nationally, and there have also been sporadic incidents of rioting and looting. Slamming the government for not taking any significant steps to assist small businesses that had to rebuild and restart from scratch in the aftermath of the 2021 riots and floods, the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA) warned that rioting and looting might resume and escalate nationally if the government fails to immediately provide the very basic services that can enable small businesses to operate and thrive.
