Looting in SA

Earlier this year, South Africa faced events of violence and businesses were looted in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, crippling an already strained economy.

Following the announcement that former president Jacob Zuma was to be sentenced to 15 months in jail, his supporters in KZN blocked major highways and burnt trucks in support of their political hero. This soon escalated to businesses being looted and vandalised. The unrest then moved to Gauteng.

African News reported that the protests closed the N3 and N2 highways, which link the Indian Ocean ports of Durban and Richard’s Bay with the industrial hubs of Johannesburg and Cape Town. Zuma’s jail sentence came after the Constitutional Court ruled he was in contempt of court after failing to appear at the State Capture Commission of Inquiry.

According to Africa News, about 40 000 businesses in KZN alone were looted, burnt or vandalised. Of these, 161 were malls, liquor outlets and distributors; 200 shopping centres; another 100 malls; 300 banks; over 1 000 ATMs; and 90 pharmacies. This led to the KZN government declaring a state of disaster, diverting funds towards the recovery of businesses. Adding to this, some of the affected

R10 billion was lost in stolen goods, destroyed property and burnt trucks.

businesses included Shoprite stores in Gauteng, Diepkloof Shopping Centre and Dobsonville Mall.

VOA News reported that poverty was the root of the looting. They added that the African National Congress (ANC) veteran and former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils said it’s important the perpetrators were punished for what they did, however, it’s also important to acknowledge the unrest stems in part from the ruling party ’s failed economic policies, such as the GEAR (Growth, Employment and Redistribution) project.

“The GEAR programme was not an economic system that was really able to radically deal with what Mandela said was our priority, which was changing the lives of the poorest of the poor, ” said Kasrils to VOA News. Currently, the unemployment rate is at 32%, and for those under the age of 35, it’s above 64%. According to the World Bank, SA is one of the most unequal countries –something that has been exacerbated since the end of apartheid in 1994.

LOSS IN STOLEN GOODS

Before the Covid-19 pandemic halted most economic activity, SA had already been in a recession and in April 2020, the country ’s credit status was put on junk by Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings (S&P). During the unrest, the Economist Intelligence Unit estimated R10 billion was lost in stolen goods, destroyed property and burnt trucks.

Gauteng and KZN account for half of the country ’s gross domestic product (GDP). Africa News went on to suggest that SA’s economy may sustain long-term damage if domestic and international investors see the violence as a sign the country is unsafe for their investments.

Anusha Nana, Project Director at Kliptown Clinic, told Deutsche Welle(DW)that without help, the clinic won’t be able to open. Kliptown Clinic is one of the key research institutions for HIV/Aids in the country and was affected during the looting. “All the consulting rooms’ internal infrastructure was damaged and medical equipment was stolen, including stethoscopes, blood pressure machines and weighing scales, ” she said. As the country was already battling the third wave of infections from Covid-19, the Helen Suzman Foundation said the violent protests increased the workload of the health sector, which was already under pressure. The vaccination rollout was also affected by the unrest and the foundation added that access to other types of chronic medication was also impacted. Apart from trucks being torched, ambulances were burnt, preventing transportation of patients to medical facilities. The looters also attacked the South African National Blood Service (SANBS).

The Independent Community Pharmacy Association of South Africa (ICPA) said in a statement: “The violent protests are having a direct negative effect on the fight against Covid-19 and these frenzied gatherings also constitute Covid-19 super spreader events. ”

The Department of Health in its statement said: “The recent violent protests have impacted the vaccination rollout in some districts and areas in both KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. ”

According to ICPA, about 50 pharmacies were looted with nearly 2 000 vaccine doses stolen. The Helen Suzman Foundation expressed that although this may seem to be a small number compared to the rollout targets, each vaccine, at a time when the death toll of the third wave continued to rise, is potentially lifesaving.

LIFE LOST

According to government figures at the time, at least 215 people died and more than 2 500 were arrested on charges including theft and vandalism. Officials said many of the deaths were caused by stampedes during the chaotic ransacking of shops.

According to Police Minister Bheki Cele, at least 20 deaths occurred in the Phoenix area of KZN where residents were protecting their neighbourhood from suspected intruders and this resulted in racial tensions in the area.

It’s unknown how many deaths were caused by police shooting at rioters. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, were investigating the deaths. A

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