DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - JULY 12: Burning factory in Sea Cow Lake area on July 12, 2021 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Darren Stewart)
Johannesburg – The South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said the toll of the devastating violence on citizens will take a long time to repair, in his address to the nation after visiting Kwa-Zulu Natal on Friday.
“The streets and buildings I saw bear the scars of looting and mayhem. But what is most devastating is the toll that these events have taken on people’s lives, livelihoods and sense of security,” Ramaphosa said.
“Let me be clear: we will take action to protect every person in this country against the threat of violence, intimidation, theft and looting. We will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute those who perpetrate these actions and will ensure that they face the full might of our law,” Ramaphosa warned.
“The constitutional order of our country is under threat. The current instability and ongoing incitement to violence constitutes a direct contravention of the Constitution and the rule of law,” Ramaphosa said.
“These actions are intended to cripple the economy, cause social instability and severely weaken – or even dislodge – the democratic state. Using the pretext of a political grievance, those behind these acts have sought to provoke a popular insurrection,” Ramaphosa said.
Premier Sihle Zikalala accompanies president Cyril Ramamphosa as they visit Bridge city Kwa-Mashu in Durban. PICTURE: KZN PROVINCIAL GOVT
They have sought to exploit the social & economic conditions under which many South Africans live, conditions that have worsened since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and to provoke citizens and criminalS to engage in opportunistic acts of looting. https://t.co/fFlI9KpMHg
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) July 16, 2021
Chaos used as a smoke screen
“The ensuing chaos is used as a smokescreen to carry out economic sabotage through targeted attacks on trucks, factories, warehouses and other infrastructure necessary for the functioning of our economy and the provision of services to our people,” the president said.
“Through social media, through fake news and misinformation, they have sought to inflame racial tensions and violence. Worst of all, they have sought to manipulate the poor and vulnerable for their own benefit. Yet, despite the widespread destruction, this attempted insurrection has failed to gain popular support.”
“It has failed because of the efforts of our security forces, and it has failed because South Africans have rejected it and have stood up in defence of our hard-won democracy. As that determination in action today as I walked through the streets of eThekwini. I saw people cleaning up the streets, rebuilding their lives, standing together united in their diversity – young and old, men and women, black and white,” Ramaphosa said.
Deaths from unrests
“Since the outbreak of this violence, at least 212 people have lost their lives. Of these, 180 have been in KwaZulu-Natal, and 32 in Gauteng. The South African Police Service is investigating 131 cases of murder and has opened inquest dockets in respect of 81 deaths,” Ramaphosa announced.
Decline in incidents
“Since the height of the unrest on Monday and Tuesday, there has been a sharp decline in the number of incidents and calm has returned to most of these areas,” Ramaphosa said.
Arrests
“Over 2,550 people have been arrested in connection with the unrest, and special arrangements are being put in place to ensure that these cases are prioritised. The destruction of property and theft of goods has cost businesses, consumers and the country as a whole billions of rands,” Ramaphosa said.
Damage done
According to preliminary reports compiled by NatJoints, extensive damage has been caused to 161 malls & shopping centres, 11 warehouses, 8 factories & 161 liquor outlets and distributors. This doesn’t include damage caused to roads & other infrastructure.
Poorly Prepared
“As this government, we must acknowledge that we were poorly prepared for an orchestrated campaign of public violence, destruction and sabotage of this nature,” Ramaphosa said.
‘While we commend the brave actions of our security forces on the ground, we must admit that we did not have the capabilities and plans in place to respond swiftly and decisively. Our police were faced with a difficult situation and exercised commendable restraint to prevent any loss of life or further escalation,” the president said.
“Once this crisis has passed, we will undertake a thorough and critical review of our preparedness and our response,” Ramaphosa said.
The president said, for now, the government’s priorities are:
To stabilise the country,
Secondly, to secure essential supplies and infrastructure
Thirdly, to provide relief and support recovery and rebuilding,
Fourthly, to encourage the active efforts of citizens in defence of lives, livelihoods and democracy.
“To stabilise the country, we have massively increased the numbers of law enforcement and security personnel on the ground in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal,” Ramaphosa said.
“Of these, 10,000 are now on the ground, with the remaining forces arriving in their respective areas of deployment over the course of the weekend.”
“I want to emphasise that there is no shortage of food or supplies in most parts of the country, and that panic buying will only worsen the situation,” Ramaphosa said.
State of Emergency
“There have been calls from several quarters for the declaration of a state of emergency to contain this violence and destruction. These calls are understandable given the levels and extent of disorder,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa further stated: “Our view has been that a state of emergency should only be declared when all other means of stabilising the situation have shown to be inadequate. A state of emergency would allow a drastic limitation of the basic rights contained in our Constitution, which no responsible government would want to do unless it was absolutely necessary. For now, it is our firm view that the deployment of our security forces, working together with communities and social partners across the country, will be able to restore order and prevent further violence.”
“We will find those who instigated this violence. They will be held accountable for their deeds. We will not allow anyone to destabilise our country and get away with it,” the president stated.
“We will not allow any person or any group to challenge the authority of our democratically elected government. This would be a challenge to the people of South Africa. While our security forces are steadily establishing control on the ground, the effects of this violence will be felt by all South Africans in the days, weeks and months to come. The damage that has been done to vital economic infrastructure will take time to repair.”
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