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Little has changed since the July unrest: Report

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The Civil Unrest report released by President Cyril Ramaphosa shows little has changed since the looting, destruction and violence happened in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in July last year.

Conditions that led to unrest persist and might trigger eruptions of large-scale unrest in future. The report further shows the violence left behind a sense of uncertainty, and over R50 billion was wiped off the economy.

Economist Mike Schussler believes the country lost more than the R50 billion estimate.

“If I look at the bigger picture, I can’t recall what we worked out on right now, but what I can say is that it certainly hindered our growth in the third quarter to negative and it’s still also having an impact on parts of KZN and Gauteng. Some shops, factories and warehouses … it left us with a higher insurance bill for everyone to pay in the country. All of us are going to end up paying billions over the years for this mess,” says Schussler.

Meanwhile, the civil society groups say their programmes to encourage reconciliation and moral regeneration in Phoenix and surrounding areas, are bearing fruit.

Reverend Vusi Zondi of the Pentecostal Holiness Church in KwaMashu says, “It’s a process, not an event. If you remember very well, after the incident and the unrest, it was very difficult for the school learners to come to this area. But the churches, civil groups and community leaders work together and it started slowly that they are accepted in this area. But the pastors feel that it should not stop there, it should carry on.”

SABC Digital News takes a look at how the riots unfolded:

Discussion on unfolding events at the SAHRC hearing into the July unrest with David Bruce:

 

 

 

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