Expert hand behind KZN violent unrest, says private security source

The violent unrest that erupted in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng this month may at first have appeared helter-skelter
– but sources from the security services have spoken of the expert hand they saw at play.

Last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa described the wave of looting and destruction – which followed Jacob Zuma’s incarceration – as “deliberate, coordinated and well-planned”.

A source from the private security sector – who spent most of last week on the ground trying to quell the chaos – concurs.

KwaZulu-Natal unrest

Speaking to The Citizen on condition of anonymity, the source said: “From a big picture point of view, it was definitely well organised.”

For example, he said, the razing of the 60 000m² Massmart warehouse in Cornubia, north of Durban, was not the work of amateurs.

“They didn’t just throw a petrol bomb inside,” he said,

“It was properly set alight. They knew what they were doing and they had a very specific end goal in mind.”

The source revealed that at the peak of the anarchy, eight suspects had been found with AK-47 assault rifles while another 20 suspects were found with incendiary devices.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) also last week confirmed it had found a hand grenade at a First National Bank ATM in Inanda.

Meanwhile, a high-ranking police source said there was no doubt the violence was “organised and orchestrated”.

“There’s just no other way it could have all happened at the same time, using the same modus operandi,” he said.

He believed, however, that at a certain juncture those behind it lost control.

Asked about the UPL chemical plant in Cornubia – which was also torched – he was not convinced it was part of a plan.

“I think the looters just went for whatever they could,” he said.

The local fire department has since dismissed reports that the water supply to the plant was cut off.

Last week, the SA Police Service leadership revealed to parliament there had been attempts to hit key infrastructure in KZN – including the King Shaka International Airport, the Impala Eskom substation as well as the Durban port.

Reports that water and sanitation, as well as communications infrastructure, were under threat have since been debunked.

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