A year since the July 2021 unrest crippled parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, dire warnings are being sounded that the conditions that gave rise to the insurrection, which left at least 354 people dead, have become even more prevalent.
Concern has risen over the failure of law enforcement to bring about any meaningful arrests of the culprits responsible for the mayhem, along with festering anger on the ground about dismal service delivery, rising fuel costs, the deepening Eskom crisis and rampant unemployment.
At a briefing on the unrest, defence minister Thandi Modise said on Friday that only 2%, or 50 of the 2,435 cases enrolled in connection with the deadly violence, arson, looting, sabotage and other crimes, had led to guilty verdicts.
The briefing came in the same week as demonstrations in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal as part of a #NationalShutdown movement. Truck drivers blocked the N4 highway, critical for the passage of goods from SA to Mozambique. Taxi drivers blocked entrances and exits to Kruger National Park, negatively affecting tourism.
Those at the forefront of the 2021 riots were calling for the release of former president Jacob Zuma after his imprisonment for contempt of court.
Business Unity SA CEO Cas Coovadia says apart from the political challenges that led to the unrest, law and order remain a disturbing weakness, the latter being a key finding of the panel appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa after what was called the “orchestrated public violence, destruction and sabotage in July 2021”.
“The factors leading to the July insurrection remain. The political infighting and factionalism persist and there is significant jockeying for power in the run-up to the ANC elective conference in December,” said Coovadia.
The government seems to be making little progress in tackling this law and order weakness. “So, conditions are still rife for disruption, if forces bent on this want to do so,” said Coovadia.
The presidential panel found there was a significant intelligence failure to anticipate, prevent or disrupt the violence.
“The intelligence appreciation and interpretation of what was building up happened too late, if at all; and as a result the security services failed to put in place the necessary interventions to detect and disrupt the plans,” it said.
The report said there was hesitancy on the part of the intelligence services about whether they should gather intelligence on people with a political profile, for fear of being castigated for interfering in politics.
The report called for the establishment of a national early warning system to ensure accurate and timely intelligence is provided to the state on a continuing basis. It also called for the appointment of suitable people to positions of leadership in the State Security Agency.
For business, the state of the economy is testament to the damage the riots caused, given the number of businesses that are still trying to recover.
Durban bore the brunt of the damage, with the financial and economic impact pegged at R12.8bn. The job losses were more than 10,000.
The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry believes that, in retrospect, while specific sectors suffered immense consequences, all sectors had been hard hit by the events. However, the tourism and manufacturing sectors had been worst affected.
Chamber CEO Palesa Phili said: “Following the 2021 July unrest, we believe several lessons have and can be learnt. Government together with law enforcement need to take a firmer approach when tackling unlawful situations; accountability needs to be taken; and we need to see criminal, unlawful behaviour being punished, prosecuted and brought to justice to avoid history repeating itself.”
She said the government needs to work with the business community to find proactive and sustainable solutions.
Safety and security
The government needs to work with the business community to ensure safety and security is a priority, and resources need to be mobilised to support intelligence gathering, she added.
Some businesses have returned to operating at full capacity, though many are still rebuilding. While there are no official figures, business insiders are saying that some businesses have relocated to Cape Town and Mauritius, or the owners are so fed up they have sold up and emigrated to the UK or the US.
For local township business owners, it is not as easy, and many are still trying to rebuild, as insurance settlements have come in as late as last week.
Malusi Xulu’s service station and convenience store was looted and razed. He watched helplessly on his CCTV cameras as mobs rampaged.
“My concern was for my staff. Once we got the petrol pumps locked, they were instructed to go home. Like so many others, I too have just received my settlement from insurance and will begin the rebuild shortly.”
The SA Human Rights Commission started its national hearing into the unrest in February this year.
It is still to release a report on its findings, which feature key evidence and testimony from survivors and various community members, as well as industry players in commerce and private security, as well as state officials.
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