The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be deployed to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to assist the South African Police Service (SAPS) in bringing widespread looting, rioting and destruction of property under control.
The riots erupted over the weekend, reportedly sparked by the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma last week, but quickly co-opted by opportunists and criminal elements. Civil action group Outa said that the violence has been fuelled by anger over poor service delivery and the ongoing failure of government at all levels.
The violence and destruction have so far been confined to KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng but this has wide-reaching implications for businesses across the country, as well as the wider economy.
Groups like Makro and Pick n Pay have suffered greatly from the unrest, with looters and criminals stealing products and destroying property, while malls and other outlets have been set on fire.
SA businesses looted and destroyed in widespread riots – army deployed to intervene
Staff Writer12 July 2021
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be deployed to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to assist the South African Police Service (SAPS) in bringing widespread looting, rioting and destruction of property under control.
The riots erupted over the weekend, reportedly sparked by the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma last week, but quickly co-opted by opportunists and criminal elements. Civil action group Outa said that the violence has been fuelled by anger over poor service delivery and the ongoing failure of government at all levels.
The violence and destruction have so far been confined to KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng but this has wide-reaching implications for businesses across the country, as well as the wider economy.
Groups like Makro and Pick n Pay have suffered greatly from the unrest, with looters and criminals stealing products and destroying property, while malls and other outlets have been set on fire.
Businesses in the affected areas have shut down, with essential services like banking operations, healthcare and power maintenance also impacted. The criminals are targeting retail shops – big and small, including liquor stores – and have stolen merchandise which includes foodstuffs, electrical products and clothing.
The Institute of Risk Management South Africa (IRMSA), The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) and the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) have all condemned the attacks.
SACCI said that businesses have been the main target of the violence, which is happening as the country’s economy is already struggling to recover.
“This will further add to unemployment and delay South Africa’s reconstruction and recovery plan,” the chamber said. However, it noted that this type of violent behaviour has been going on for months – long before the arrest of Zuma, which his supporters claim is the reason for the student flare-up.
“Whatever the grievance may be, this violent destruction of business, property and the intimidation of truck drivers, closure of major arterial roads, burning of trucks and damage to business equipment has been happening intermittently now for many months and precedes any recent constitutional court ruling against the former president,”
