Johannesburg - In an precedent-setting judgment, a Johannesburg-based restaurant company that claimed it had no obligation to pay employees’ salaries due to the Covid-19 lockdown, has been placed under business rescue.
The defence of two of Mezepoli’s directors, Francois Froneman and Elpida Haitas, was that as a result of the national lockdown, force majeure excused the company from its obligations to employees and other creditors. Weiner said it was also “extremely concerning” that Mezepoli had paid over R7.4 million as dividend to a trust that controlled it.
“We have only seen numbers on television about grants for this and that. The goal posts are shifting constantly and it’s hard for black businesses to cope.
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