Looted tyres are infiltrating the market in South Africa

SATreads.com is reporting today that following the widely reported civil unrest, riots, and looting, KwaZulu-Natal, where there was wide-scale destruction to lives and property, looted tyres are now making their way onto the market in South Africa.

SATreads.com tells us that a video showed a group of thugs breaking into Sumitomo Rubber’s (Dunlop) warehouse, and helping themselves to free stock, further highlighted the implications of this unruly uprising on business. Products to the value of R90m (over €5m) were stolen with serious implications to the business.

Their report goes on to beg the question, “where did those stolen goods end up and what are the less obvious, yet equally grave, repercussions to the consumer?”

It adds that: “Businesses across the board have been brought to their knees by the widespread theft, vandalism, and arson – from informal traders to large retail chains. The economic impact of the anarchy and destruction will be massive, in a country that was already grappling with low economic growth and alarmingly high unemployment levels.”

The article continues: “There are massive implications, not just for the Dunlop business but for the entire value chain, including employees, the community and the supply chain,” warned Lubin Ozoux, CEO of SRSA.