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Expert Panel Report on July 2021 Unrest By Peter Bagshawe
B
etween 9 and 18 July 2021, South Africa was rocked by riots, incidents of arson, civil disobedience, Internet activism and looting in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng, which President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to as ‘insurrection’. The then-Acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, on 20 July, referred to initial estimated losses in the region of R50 billion to the national economy, with 337 deaths
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and 2,219 dockets opened and being processed by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Stark information does not show the impact of the loss of life and property, damage to infrastructure, loss of direct jobs and ancillary informal employment, reputational damage internationally, financial losses to traders, impact on insurances and financial markets or the destruction of trust in the ability of the state to provide protection of life and
property, as required in terms of the South African Constitution. In response not only to the situation that arose, but also widespread criticism of the state, President Ramaphosa, on 5 August 2021, appointed an Expert Panel, chaired by Professor Sandy Africa and comprising experts in relevant areas, to investigate the preparedness – or lack of preparedness – of the government relating to the ‘insurrection’. Dr Sandy Africa is an Associate Professor in the
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