R1.5bn allocated to assist businesses affected by July civil unrest

Money pooled by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the National Empowerment Fund and the Solidarity Fund to address disruption and losses to businesses affected by the mid-July civil unrest has amounted to R1.5-billion.

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel says this money will go directly, in 123 separate transactions, towards 320 businesses (some of which involve more than one business site), which support and employ about 13 800 workers.