After five days of violent looting, arson and unrest in various parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, police have arrested 1,234 people in the two provinces in connection with riots.
Since the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma groups of demonstrators have ransacked shopping malls across Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, leaving with clothing items, appliances and food. Demonstrators also burnt trucks and residential buildings and blocked major highways in what police believe to be highly organised and planned acts of public violence.
Two police officers in Soweto were found to be possession of looted goods on Tuesday and were arrested. The officers were also found by community members to be offloading suspected stolen property from a state vehicle, police say.
The country’s markets closed in the red on Tuesday, pulled down by retail and banking sectors amid the continued turmoil in the country that caused damage to businesses, roads and communities in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
The violence is, however, expected to subside on Wednesday as law enforcement increases boots on the ground in hotspot areas and communities across the two provinces band together to protect malls and other infrastructure from looters.
By Tuesday, at least 72 people had lost their lives in the mayhem, 10 of which were lost during a stampede at Ndofaya Mall in Soweto.
The country is expected to face a major food shortage over the next few days as food supply chains have been blocked or destroyed by protesters since Friday. Additionally, the rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations has stalled as major public and public vaccination sites in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal were closed in the wake of the violence.
The payment of social grants and the operations of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) remain suspended.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to meet leaders of political parties on Wednesday as part of his widespread consultation with various sectors to develop a multisectoral response to the violence. On Monday, government ministers met business leaders and on Tuesday the president chaired a National Security Council meeting.
The presidency also announced that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is putting together a team of special prosecutors who have been instructed to oppose bail for suspects associated with public violence and economic sabotage.
A total of 87 suspects linked to the violence are expected to appear at the Randburg magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
The unrest has received widespread condemnation from civil society, business and political organisations. However, former president Jacob Zuma’s foundation has warned through its Twitter account that the “peace and stability in SA is directly linked to the release of president Zuma with immediate effect”.
Zuma is currently serving a 15-month jail term at the Estcourt prison after being found guilty by the Constitutional Court of contempt of court for failing to adhere to a court order that he appear before the Zondo commission of inquiry. Zuma has applied to have the ruling rescinded by the apex court.
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