APA-Pretoria (South Africa) The unrest that rocked South Africa in July 2021 was caused by “myriad factors” and the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma was just but one of the triggers, a report by the country’s human rights commission said.
Presenting the report on Monday, South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) member Philile Ntuli said the unrest was well-orchestrated and a “violent culmination of deep-rooted political and social challenges” that South Africa has been facing for some time.
“The unrest was largely attributed to typologies of organisation and orchestration of public discord, crime and protest,” Ntuli said.
She said the violence and destruction were symptomatic of unresolved systemic conditions, including challenges with post-COVID-19 economic recovery, high unemployment, lawlessness, discrimination, socio-economic divides and issues within the security sector.
“The commission concluded that organised groups and individuals opportunistically exploited these conditions to attempt to usurp the rule of law.”
She noted that the timing of the events coincided with Zuma’s incarceration led to a perception that the two were related.
The violence claimed the lives of more than 350 people and damaged infrastructure and businesses worth over US$2.6 billion.
NM/jn/APA