"At this moment, the associated companies have suffered some kind of disaster and are surveying and assessing the costs and recovery time to submit to the government and see what solution we can find," said Raul Mateus, president of the Association of Modern Commerce and Distribution Companies of Angola (ECODIMA) this Wednesday.
Speaking to Lusa on the third and final day of the taxi drivers' strike in Luanda, after two consecutive days of riots, vandalism, chaos, and looting of commercial establishments, the official admitted that companies with merchandise insurance may be able to receive compensation.
Raul Mateus said he does not believe there is insurance to cover vandalism, due to the "extremely high costs." However, he noted that contacts are already underway with government authorities to mitigate the costs of affected companies.
"I believe vandalism insurance doesn't exist because it's quite expensive, the costs are extremely high, but we've been working with the government to find ways to mitigate these expenses for companies, and it's been an ongoing dialogue," he noted.
Without providing figures, the president of ECODIMA said that companies are continuing to assess their losses, noting that the process must be detailed and legally supported at a time when businesses are closed and without employees.
"Making an assessment is difficult, we'll wait, because it needs to be supported by documentation so that we can be credible and only begin discussions to compensate the companies for the losses," he argued.
Several warehouses belonging to various retail chains operating in Luanda were vandalized and looted on Monday and Tuesday by several citizens, following the strike called by the National Association of Taxi Drivers of Angola (ANATA), which has already condemned and distanced itself from such acts.
Looting at commercial establishments was also recorded in the provinces of Bengo and Icolo e Bengo, as reported by the national press and confirmed by the national police.
Raul Mateus explained, however, that the closure of some businesses following the vandalism was intended to protect the lives of employees and customers, stating that the institutions are awaiting a statement from the authorities regarding the safe resumption of operations.
"When the authorities issue a statement stating that there is stability, then we will resume commercial activity. But bear in mind that businesses are suffering losses, especially because they are closed. At the end of the month, they have financial burdens, have to pay salaries, and have a series of commitments that are not being reduced," he emphasized.
The leader of ECODIMA, which has 75 members in all provinces, condemned the riots that occurred with looting at warehouses and commercial establishments, stating that the action was "an exploitation of criminals."
"According to what I heard from ANATA's statement, the taxi drivers weren't motivated by hoarding; this is a crime, so much so that the populations themselves in some neighborhoods have been running away from these criminals (...), because this is a loss for the country, the economy, and many people are unemployed, which is something we must avoid," the businessman concluded.
At least 22 people died and 197 others were injured following the riots in Luanda over the past two days, Interior Minister Manuel Homem announced this Wednesday, assuring that the public security situation in the country "is stable."
