Worst Violence In South Africa – Free PDF Download

What has happened?

• The unrest in South Africa, set off last week after the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma, has claimed 72 lives so far.
• The police and the military have resorted to firing stun grenades and rubber bullets to contain the situation.
• The rioting originated in Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), where he is serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court, after failing to appear for a corruption inquiry.

• It has also spread to other provinces like Mpumalanga, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Northern Cape.
• Warehouses and stores have also been ransacked in the economic capital Johannesburg and Durban.
• Amid the lawlessness, Covid-19 vaccination centres were closed even as the country reels under the third wave of Covid-19 infections.

What triggered the protest?

• Protests began over calls for release of Zuma, who served the country from 2009-18 and is facing corruption charges.
• Former Cabinet ministers, high-ranking government officials and executives of state-owned enterprises have implicated Zuma in corruption.
• Testimonies state that his appointment of Cabinet ministers was influenced by the controversial Gupta family.
• Zuma also faces charges related to bribes that he allegedly received during South Africa’s 1999 arms procurement deal.
• While the violence may have been spurred on by the imprisonment of Zuma,
• It’s being fanned by underlying problems in the country amid a raging pandemic and failing economy.
• Last year, the country had witnessed its sharpest decline in annual GDP since 1946, with a contraction of 7 per cent in the economy, Reuters reported in March.
• Since then, with the lockdown and restrictions on businesses, South Africa’s economy has struggled to make a recovery.
• According to the news agency, unemployment stood at a record high of 32.6% in the first three months of 2021.
• A survey conducted in March and April found that more than 10 million people, nearly a sixth of the population, had experienced hunger over the past seven days.

Government’s response

• President Cyril Ramaphosa has stated that there is no justification to the violence.
• “While there are those who may be hurt and angry at this moment, there can never be any justification for such violent, destructive and disruptive actions,” Ramaphosa was quoted as saying by Reuters.
• He added that the looting and violence was damaging efforts to rebuild the economy.
• Opposition, however, termed the blaming of criminals as an “easy” option and added,
• “You have to ask why has our society got so many young people able and available to do these things? Because they’re not at work.”
• The government has deployed its army to support the South African police, however, the rioting and looting haven’t stopped.

Cost of rioting

• At least 72 people have died in six consecutive days of violent clashes between police and protesters, and in stampedes by looting mobs.
• Over a billion rands have already been incurred in damages. Economists, however, predict a doubling of this cost as businesses are forced to shut down and some have been set on fire.
• The country’s largest refinery SAPREF in the east coast port city of Durban has been forced to temporarily shut down due to the looting.
• Experts, including the United Nations, has warned that such disturbances and continued rioting could “exacerbate” the problem.
• At least 1,234 people, including women, children and older citizens, have been arrested in Gauteng and KZN, and a 100 more from Johannesburg have been apprehended for stealing from shops inside the Mayfair Square mall.

Q) Which one among the following is not a landlocked country in Africa?

1. Botswana
2. Zambia
3. Lesotho
4. Nigeria

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