Tue 13 July 2021:
As chaotic scenes played out in pockets of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, leaving many businesses gutted and looted by protesters, President Cyril Ramaphosa said it is of vital importance that calm and stability is restored without delay.
“Many South Africans are at this hour counting the cost to their livelihoods and property, to their shops and businesses, to their safety and security. Many more South Africans are feeling anxious and afraid.
“Parts of the country are reeling from several days and nights of public violence, destruction of property and looting of the sort rarely seen before in the history of our democracy,” said the President.
He described what was being witnessed as opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft.
Durban mosque set on fire
A mosque in Durban’s Mayville area, which was used as a base to feed community members has been set alight on Monday, News 24 reported.
Last week, 120 shacks in a nearby informal settlement were burnt down, the mosque had been helping the victims of a fire.
Mosque on fire: Mayville Durban, #SouthAfrica
Video Courtesy: Yusuf Abramjee pic.twitter.com/4RhYRtI12q— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) July 12, 2021
Community leaders in Mayville said the local mosque, adjacent to shops, was completely gutted after looters set fire to the building at 06:00 on Monday, during incidents of unrest sparked by sympathisers of Jacob Zuma, calling for his release from prison.
“The fire department refused to come. The whole mosque is gutted. One portion is burnt completely. The rest of the mosque has smoke damage,” AK Lockhat said.
“Neither the police nor the fire department responded to calls to put out the fire.
Lockat said thousands of food parcels were distributed via the mosque since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lockhat said the mosque was used to feed nearby community members, who were victims of a fire in the area.
“We arranged food … even for breakfast and lunch for today. But we cannot continue with any of that now,” Lockhat said.
He added: “We fed 300 people on Saturday and Sunday, and we were meant to feed people today.”
EFF intends to challenge the decision to deploy the SANDF
The @EFFSouthAfrica had decided to challenge the @CyrilRamaphosa’s decision of deploying @SANDF_ZA through its legal team. They want the president to clarify that, on what basis did he decide on deploy troops. They say soldiers cannot be deployed at home while there is no war. pic.twitter.com/Vjy39zxpXh
— songezo spambo (@SongezoSpambo) July 13, 2021
Violence, looting continues in Durban and surrounding areas on Monday night
Durban CBD, #SouthAfrica
Video Courtesy: Dasen Thathiah pic.twitter.com/zq4YY96o2W— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) July 13, 2021
Sporadic unrest and looting continued unabated on Monday night in Durban and its surrounds as police – desperately awaiting reinforcements from the SANDF – engaged mobs of people in running battles
.Looting has been reported at locations across the city, despite President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday night condemning the violence and calling for calm.
Moreover, violence continues in Pietermaritzburg and the surrounding regions.
Sources in law enforcement said their resources were spread thin, and that critical stocks of rubber bullets and stun grenades were running low.
FNB Bank completely destroyed overnight at the Sam Ntuli Mall in #Katlehong. Looters broke in overnight, looted what they could and destroyed what they couldn’t loot. #ZumaUnrest #zumaprotests #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/by7gXKIBTR
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) July 13, 2021
Scenes of destruction at the Sam Ntuli Mall in #Katlehong. All shops completely looted out. #ZumaUnrest #zumaprotests #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/qOE6YlWY1z
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) July 13, 2021
Security still trying to get the remaining looters out of the Sam Ntuli Mall in #Katlehong , with scores of them having been arrested. #ZumaUnrest #zumaprotests #SABCNews pic.twitter.com/p2f6MHlBWV
— Sipho King K Kekana (@KingKAzania) July 13, 2021
Mams Mall in Mamelodi was gutted last night. Shops here have been fully looted. A shop owner tells me that police eventually left the mall as there was nothing they could do. No police visibility around the Mall this morning. (@AlexMitchley) pic.twitter.com/DkcgkUJUDu
— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) July 13, 2021
WATCH: Mass looting continues at Makro and Value Centre on Umgeni Road in Durban. No army in sight. A few Sydenham SAPS officers driving past. @News24 #ZumaUnrest (@kaveels) pic.twitter.com/d5SH5J6dZ9
— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) July 13, 2021
Police have arrived at Mams Mall and are now dispersing a second group of looters who are attempting to enter the Mall. (@AlexMitchley) pic.twitter.com/X9XlEhEfrJ
— Team News24 (@TeamNews24) July 13, 2021
Live visuals from Queen Nandi drive in KZN. Looters streaming over the bridge into Umgeni Rd where all the huge warehouses are. #ShutdownSA #sabcnews @JayedLeigh pic.twitter.com/ISpWoL3zZk
— Leanne Manas (@LeanneManas) July 13, 2021
76,000 troops were deployed to enforce lockdown. Looters will face 2,500 – for now.
A maximum of 2,500 troops will be used in “Operation Prosper”, the deployment in response to widespread looting in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
That compares to a force of 76,000 that was made available to enforce lockdown rules early in the pandemic.
But the first deployment of soldiers to police Covid-19 restrictions was of just about a similar size, and the number of soldiers sent to support the police in quelling violence and theft could, likewise, be rapidly ramped up.
More than 480 people arrested in Gauteng
A total of 489 people have been arrested in KwaZulu-Natal (166) and Gauteng (323) at 8pm in connection with the violence, looting and intimidation that has rocked the country since the weekend.
NatJOINTS (National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure) said a total of 166 people have been arrested in KwaZulu-Natal and 323 in Gauteng.
-with News 24 | IOL
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