Ramaphosa to conduct oversight visit in KZN this morning

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to undertake an oversight visit to eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, on Friday morning, to assess the impact of public violence, mass looting and damage to property that has gripped parts of the province and Gauteng in recent days.

ALSO READ: Zuma camp’s plan to burn its way back to power

According to the Presidency, Ramaphosa will interact with the provincial government and security forces deployed to help quell the violence in KZN.

“The president’s visit follows government’s engagement throughout this week with different sectors of society, including organised business, interfaith leaders and leaders of political parties represented in Parliament,” acting Presidency spokesperson Tyrone Seale said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the damage stood at over R16 billion, with 40,000 businesses affected and over 129,000 jobs lost in eThekwini alone. 

5,000 informal traders and 40,0000 formal businesses were hit, many of which may never recover. Economists estimated it could take up to two decades for the country to recover from ongoing riots. 

Parts of Gauteng affected by the violence have been recovering from the unrest, with clean-up operations taking. However, the situation remains volatile in KZN, with reports of overnight looting and damage to infrastructure.

WATCH: Isipingo market set alight overnight

117 cumulative deaths have been linked to the unrest that started last weekend in KwaZulu-Natal, with more than 2,000 people arrested so far.

The government also confirmed on Thursday that one of the 12 suspected instigators behind the public violence has been arrested.

5,000 more South African National Defence Force members were deployed to assist police in their operations in KZN and Gauteng, bring the number of boots on the ground to 10,000.

Additional reporting by Sipho Mabena