Cape Town – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday that those behind the riots and violence that have shaken the country and claimed 212 lives in the past week had sought to foment an “insurrection”.
“Those behind these acts have sought to provoke a popular insurrection amongst our people,” he said in a televised address.
Ramaphosa was addressing the nation following his visit earlier to KwaZulu-Natal where he assessed the aftermath of the protests that erupted on July 9, a day after ex-president Jacob Zuma, who wields support among the poor and loyalists in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), began a 15-month jail term for snubbing a corruption investigation.
We call on all South Africans to encourage calm and restraint, to desist from sharing false information, and to report any incidents of violence to the police immediately.
By doing these basic things, we can all work to protect South Africa.https://t.co/fFlI9KpMHg
— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? #StaySafe (@CyrilRamaphosa) July 16, 2021
The protests quickly turned into looting as crowds pillaged shops and storehouses, hauling away goods as police stood by, seemingly powerless to act.
Ramaphosa said the violence was planned.
“It is clear now that the events of the past week were nothing less than a deliberate, coordinated, and well-planned attack on our democracy.
“The constitutional order of our country is under threat. The current instability and ongoing incitement to violence constitute a direct contravention of the Constitution and the rule of law,” said Ramaphosa.
He said these actions were intended to cripple the economy, cause social instability and severely weaken – or even dislodge – the democratic state.
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Said Ramaphosa: “Using the pretext of a political grievance, those behind these acts have sought to provoke a popular insurrection.
They have sought to exploit the social & economic conditions under which many South Africans live, conditions that have worsened since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and to provoke citizens and criminals to engage in opportunistic acts of looting.”
He said preliminary reports showed that extensive damage had been caused to 161 malls and shopping centres, 11 warehouses, 8 factories & 161 liquor outlets, and distributors.
Ramaphosa said he had since authorised the deployment of 25 000 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to support the work of the police in normalising the situation in the country.
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“In addition to supporting the police in maintaining order, SANDF members have been deployed to protect key installations and commercial sites that are vital to the functioning of the economy and the uninterrupted provision of services to citizens.
“Specialised units of our law enforcement agencies are working around the clock to locate and apprehend those responsible for planning and coordinating this violence. We will spare no effort in bringing these individuals to justice,” said Ramaphosa.
He said there had been calls from several quarters for the declaration of a state of emergency to contain the violence and destruction.
” These calls are understandable given the levels and extent of disorder. Our view has been that a state of emergency should only be declared when all other means of stabilising the situation have shown to be inadequate.
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“A state of emergency would allow a drastic limitation of the basic rights contained in our Constitution, which no responsible government would want to do unless it was absolutely necessary,” Ramaphosa said.
He said the deployment of our security forces, working together with communities and social partners across the country, will be able to restore order and prevent further violence.
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Written by Betha Madhomu
Additional reporting by AFP
