Riots a result of political and economic failure – analyst

Unrest and uncertainty were the order of the day yesterday, as buildings went up in smoke and businesses were looted by opportunistic criminals jumping on the protest bandwagon.

The South African National Defence Force deployed soldiers to protest hotspots around Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The police confirmed 219 arrests were made during the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure operations over the weekend – 123 from KwaZulu-Natal and 96 from Gauteng.

Four people were killed during the outbreaks of violence in Alexandra, Jeppestown, Dobsonville, and Germiston in Gauteng, while two others were killed in KwaZulu-Natal, one in Inanda and another in Umbilo.

Major-General Mathapelo Peters, spokesperson for the Corporate Communication and Liaison South African Police Service National head office, said the extent of damage to property and the looting of businesses will be determined at a later stage.

City of Tshwane MMC for community safety Karen Meyer said the metro police department was monitoring the brazen lawlessness and looting across the city. Meyer warned places of concern included the highways around Mamelodi, Hammanskraal, Mabopane, Soshanguve and Ga-Rankuwa.

A Soshanguve mother who works in Pretoria East said when she left home in the morning there was no sign of unrest in her community, but later she feared returning home.

Linda Mbatha, a resident of Far East Bank in Alexander, said Sunday was a mess but added the situation was calmer yesterday.

Senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies Professor Johan Burger said he doubted the current chaos would be resolved anytime soon.

“I hope it will bring some relief with the deployment of the army, but the unrest will probably continue for a few days,” Burger said.

The protests started with alleged pro-Jacob Zuma campaign ers trying to score sympathy for the jailed former president.

“It is not so easy without all the information to draw a line between the pro-Zuma actions and the purely criminal activities happening,” Burger said.

The chaos was a combination of pro-Zuma supporters turned violent and exploitation by ordinary criminals using the current chaos to enrich themselves.

Political analyst Daniel Silke said you reap what you sow.

“In this case, it was a failure on both the political and economic front. This is an almost perfect storm of abusive South Africa coming home to roost,” Silke said.

South Africa had been abused politically over the past decade or more, and economically considering the high rate of joblessness.

“On Sunday there was enough warning that it was going to be a rough night,” Silke added.

He said it was a result of a high level of unemployment, lack of opportunity and a feeling of hopelessness for millions of South Africans willing to take advantage of the state’s weakness.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za