South Africa rioting: what’s happening and why? – Reaction briefing

The mass outbreak of looting and shooting in South Africa has claimed the lives of over 70 people, and President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the current chaos as the worst unrest the country has experienced since before the end of apartheid rule. 

Widespread violence involving the raiding of shops and offices has wrecked hundreds of businesses. 

What are the reasons for the unrest ?

The unrest was sparked by the jailing of former South African President Jacob Zuma last week, who is set to serve a 15-month sentence for contempt of court.

Protests from Zuma’s supporters over his arrest quickly descended into looting and shooting. 

Shopping centres and warehouses have been ransacked and set alight in KwaZulu-Natal province, where Zuma lived, as well as in Gauteng province and Johannesburg. Overnight, the violence also spread to Mpumalanga province and Northern Cape. 

In the heavily riot-hit city of Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal province, people have compared scenes in the last few days to a war-zone, with gunshots, fire and smoke everywhere. The BBC has captured footage of a baby being thrown from the upstairs of a Durban building that was set ablaze by looters in the ground-floor shops. 

Ministers have warned that if the looting continues, there is a risk that areas will soon run out of basic food supplies. 

The mayor of Ethekwini, the municipality that includes Durban, estimates that 15 billion rand ($1.09 billion) has been lost in damage to property and another billion in loss of stock. 

The looting is impacting hospitals, intensifying coronavirus woes. The epicentre of the pandemic is within the provinces under siege and many medical staff are struggling to get to work. 

What is the response? 

Ministers have ruled out declaring a state of emergency, at least for now. But the military has been deployed to support the over-stretched police. Together, they have identified 12 people suspected of provoking the riots and arrested over 1,200. 

According to local TV, order has been restored in some areas today, including the northern Johannesburg township of Alexandra. 

Yet law enforcement agents remain heavily outnumbered.

A number of residents in affected areas are taking the law into their own hands to protect their neighbourhoods. In Durban, vigilante groups have formed what local media are calling “defence squads”; heavily armed with guns, they are attempting to block off streets and prevent further looting. 

Why has the violence erupted now?

Protests were triggered by the jailing of Zuma, with many supporters initially blockading roads to demand the release of the 79-year-old former leader. 

But this arrest was merely a catalyst for a wider outpouring of anger over the stark inequality that persists in South Africa 27 years after the end of white minority rule.

Roughly half of the South African population still lives below the poverty line. And the hardship fuelling the unrest has been intensified by the pandemic. 

In the first three months of 2021, unemployment stood at a record high of 32.6 per cent among the general workforce and at 46.3 per cent among young people. 

The scale of destruction created by the looting will only worsen the country’s economic crisis. 

The current chaos is undoubtedly the biggest security challenge facing Ramaphosa since he replaced Zuma as president in 2018.