Actions must be taken to stop a repeat of the July 2021 unrest: The underlying causes of the riots persist and all it will take is a spark that could lead to further looting and violence
On 7 July last year, former president Jacob Zuma began serving a 15-month prison sentence. His arrest stemmed from an unprecedented judgment by the constitutional court, which called for his imprisonment for failing to appear before the Zondo commission into state capture.
Other costs include the loss of livelihoods, shortage of food supplies, a humanitarian crisis and more than 350 lives. The president further told the commission that the government had taken “decisive steps” to ensure that such events would not reoccur. Yet there are signs that the present conditions could lead to a repeat of last year’s events. After the unrest, Ramaphosa announced the establishment of an expert panel to inquire into and review the government’s response to the events.
No political party achieved an outright majority in the November 2021 local government elections in all the metropolitan municipalities at the heart of the July unrest, namely, Ethekwini, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane. The election was also characterised by low voter turnout, which is a testament to these issues and citizens’ dissatisfaction. The failures are manifesting in daily service delivery protests, which can be the catalyst that sparks unrest.
Moreover, it has resulted in the rise of vigilante groups such as Operation Dudula, whose members politicise migration to advance their causes and justify their actions, fuelling xenophobic fervour that results in violent demonstrations and attacks such as the torching of the Yeoville market in Johannesburg. These events have security implications, because they compound the likelihood of instability and unrest.in the ANC were a significant contributor to the unrest.
More recently, the Zondo commission’s final report into state capture documents the rot in the security cluster in general, and specifically, the incompetence of the state’s intelligence apparatus.
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