Grace Harding: If Cyril keeps us closed until September, SA's 7 000 restaurants won't make it

On the ground, the sheer scale of the economic disaster SA faces as a result of the most restrictive Covid-19 lockdown on earth is increasingly obvious. In a Moment of Clarity, Grace Harding, CEO of the 152 store Ocean Basket chain, describes the impact on her sector as "catastrophic". Government regulations state that sit-down restaurants will only be allowed to reopen at Level One, implying another four months of zero income for an industry that employs more than 500 000 people.