Hermanus restaurants unite in protest

Writer: Hedda Mittner.

First came the social media posts of restaurateurs and their staff, holding up signs that declare how many jobs each business provides – and how many have already been lost. Then came the nationwide peaceful protest on Wednesday, ‘Million Seats on the Streets’, with the hashtag #Jobssavelives, which saw restaurants placing their tables and chairs in the street adjacent to their premises from 12:00 to 14:00.

Initiated by the Restaurant Association of South Africa (RASA), this collaborative campaign invited President Cyril Ramaphosa to take up a seat at any of the empty tables and engage with the industry on the hardships they are enduring. The strict operating guidelines, including the ban on alcohol sales and the 9pm curfew, continue to cripple one of South Africa’s best-loved trades while restaurateurs are doing everything in their power to survive and save the jobs of their staff.

Shane Sauvage of La Pentola (left) and Rudolf van der Berg of Burgundy preparing boeries for those who had come out in support of the restaurants.

Fisherman’s Cottage moved its tables and chairs out onto Harbour Road, where supporters joined in a free (and delicious!) snoek and patat braai.

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