South Africa rocked with looting, stampedes & violence: What is happening and why?

From chaotic stampedes to loot of electric appliances, food & liquor, horrific scenes have emerged from South Africa with the death toll rising to 32 even as the military struggle to quell the crisis concentrated in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Most people died in the stampedes and scores of people looted from retail centres, said KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala in a press briefing on July 13. Meanwhile, in Gauteng which is South Africa’s most populous province and includes the largest city of the country Johannesberg, at least six people have died. At least 2,500 soldiers have been deployed to back the South African law enforcement.

“Yesterday’s events brought a lot of sadness. The number of people who have died in KwaZulu-Natal alone stands at 26. Many of them died from being trampled on during a stampede while people were looting items,” said Zikalala on Tuesday.

Why did the violence start in South Africa?

The violence rocked the country starting in KwaZulu-Natal last week as demonstrations kickstarted against the imprisonment of former South African president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court. Pro-Zuma protests first flooded the streets after the 79-year-old handed himself to authorities on July 7 (local time) to start his 15-month sentence. Even though it all began as a small-scale blocking of roads in Zuma’s home area, the demonstrations gradually intensified and spread to Gauteng followed by criminals taking advantage of the chaos. As of now, lawlessness has not entered the other nine provinces of the country.

Who is Jacob Zuma and what happened?

Jacob Zuma was convicted of defying a court order to testify before a state-backed inquiry probing allegations of corruption when he was in the office from 2009 to 2018. As per reports, Zuma has denied corruption and has not even co-operated with the legal process as he began his sentence last week. On July 12, the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court heard Zuma’s application to have his sentence rescinded. While Zuma’s lawyer relayed the errors made by the court during his sentencing, the court judges had said that they would study the arguments and announce a decision afterwards.

With his surrender, Zuma has become the first South African president ever to go to jail in at least 27 years since apartheid had ended. Shortly after, pro-Zuma protests erupted in the province. In an address on July 12, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “What we are witnessing now are opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft.”

While informing that hundreds of suspects were arrested in the two provinces, he said “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 that the looting of pharmacies, shopping centres could lead to food shortages in the upcoming weeks. 

IMAGE: AP