Johannesburg – Lack of government cohesion played a key role in the lackluster response by security forces to the civil unrest that occurred in July last year, a expert panel report has found.
The unrest that took place in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng claimed more than 300 lives and saw the economy bleed in excess of R50 billion and countless jobs lost as the two economic hubs saw unprecedented looting and destruction to property.
President Cyril Ramaphosa in August reshuffled his cabinet, moving then minister of state security Ayanda Dlodlo to public administration and Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was sacked as minister of defence and was later appointed as speaker of the national assembly.
Ramaphosa also appointed a three-strong expert panel to review government’s response to public violence, destruction of property and looting in July has been set nine objectives for its three month-long task.
The three panel members are Professor Sandy Africa (chair), Advocate Mojanku Gumbi and Silumko Sokupa.
The three today delivered their report to Ramaphosa, which he has made public.
The panel in its work also interviewed veterans of the security services, and government service and security experts, who were left unimpressed with government’s handling of the unrest.
“The veterans’ views were that the violent events of July 2021 were indicative of a spectacular governance failure, at a variety of levels.
If the security structures had enjoyed the confidence of the people, they would have known what was coming.
The initial silence from government, followed by different messages from Ministers, had left the people feeling uncertain about whether there was cohesion in government,” the report reads in part.
“In addition, when the security services failed to act decisively, the question many were left with was whether the State had collapsed, and the people left to fend for themselves.
What was of concern, was that the final outbreak of violence did not take place suddenly, it had had a slow build-up.
It was obvious that the violence had been orchestrated, as the strategic targeting and the deliberate and coordinated actions showed that these were not the actions of ordinary people.”
To read more political news and views, click here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
