July unrest not linked to Zuma – SA Human Rights Commission

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has revealed that the SAPS was ill-prepared to deal with the orchestrated attacks during the July unrest in 2021.

The commission suggested that factors such as insufficient training, equipment or resources to effectively respond to the situation might have been the cause.

Acts of protest, violence and looting spread across the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.

Locally, more than 100 looters were reportedly arrested and detained at various police stations in Benoni and several businesses were affected, including a KFC outlet at Mayfield Shopping Centre in Daveyton, which was burnt down on July 12.

Clothing stores and furniture shops were cleaned out and some ATMs were also vandalised.

The report was released by the SAHRC with the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) on January 29.

According to the findings, the acts which occurred during the unrest were indeed orchestrated.

This included the blocking of the N3 and the N2, the calculated destruction of factories and warehouses, the organised disconnection of security and fire alarm systems, the attack on government communication facilities at the Durban Port, and the bombing and removal of ATMs.

The evidence further points to two types of actors in and during the July unrest. Primary actors who were well-resourced, led and executed the widespread destruction of property, and perpetrated arson attacks. They in turn mobilised secondary actors, who participated in acts of theft at malls and other business premises.

Blurred lines
“The timing of the events of the unrest coincided with the incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma. This caused an intertwining that blurred the lines between where one ended, and when the other started. This intersection of events has led many to conclude that the two are related.

“However, the commission found that while the timing of the events of the unrest coincided with the incarceration of Zuma, it could not find evidence to link the two events,” the statement said.

The report further elaborated that the failure to promptly address and counter digital orchestration and instigation through social media and other online platforms, allowed the unrest to grow. This suggests that online communication and coordination played a role in fuelling the violence.

“The commission finds that through the creation and dissemination of inflammatory content, social media amplified grievances, stoked fear and anger, and mobilised individuals towards disruptive actions.”

Meanwhile, the commission has recommended that both the SSA and Crime Intelligence are to engage and deepen relationships with different sectors of society to enhance the quality of intelligence gathered and its management.

“The government and the private sector have an urgent responsibility to address the socioeconomic inequalities and the inequalities of access to the economy which are differentiated along racial lines in patterns that are reflective of a racialised economy. The state must take steps to ensure socio-economic transformation of the racial dynamic of the economy.”

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