ACTING Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says the death toll from the civil unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal has risen to 276 and police are investigating 168 murder cases.
The Acting Minister said this when she briefed the media to provide an update on government’s interventions to rebuild the economy following violent protests and looting incidents that led to the loss of lives and disrupted economic activity for over a week.
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“A total of 234 deaths as related to the unrest were reported in KwaZulu-Natal. To date, the [SA Police Service] are investigating 151 cases for murder and 83 inquest dockets have been opened and 15 arrests related to the cases of murder have been made.
“A total of 42 deaths as related to the unrest were reported in Gauteng. To date, and of these reported deaths, the SAPS are investigating 17 cases for murder, and 25 cases are still at an inquest stage and no arrests have been made as yet related to the cases of murder,” she said on Wednesday.
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Ntshavheni said, meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa and more than 100 business leaders have met to discuss the current security situation and assess the damage to infrastructure.
The meeting discussed areas where government and business can work together to rebuild the country in the aftermath of the crisis.
“In the meeting, business leaders and government committed to rebuilding the country and ensuring that poverty and inequality are addressed speedily,” she said.
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