On Wednesday evening, 14 July, the Minister of Defense announced the deployment of 25,000 soldiers to stop the violence. riots that were originally triggered by the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma, but which quickly turned into looting.
In Gauteng, Johannesburg and Pretoria and their surroundings, the situation is more or less under control, the police minister said on Thursday morning. Police and soldiers have restored some security there with sporadic incidents in Kwazulu-Natal.
North of Durban, however, the situation is more tense, with looting and incidents still reported this morning. The Minister of Police is now also reporting incidents between communities. The duty for this violence has increased, with 117 deaths in the country and more than 2,200 arrests.
The government criticized
On the other hand, it is impossible to quantify the material losses. But in Durban, for example, many shopping centers have been looted and burned down. Early in the morning, movies showed very long queues outside supermarkets that were not looted.
The Busa organization, which brings together South African companies, has called for a 24-hour curfew for the next few days in the provinces of Gauteng and Kwazulu-Natal to restore security. The association for health and medical staff also called for the deployment of security forces around health structures to prevent their destruction.
In any case, the government has faced many critics since this morning. Why did you wait several days before a massive deployment of the army?
► Listening again: Violence in South Africa: “It is a way of discrediting power” (international guest)
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