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South African National Defence Force soldiers and South Africa Police Services (SAPS) members line up in front of the Phoenix Police Station in Durban, on July 21, 2021. File photo by Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images
JULY UNREST

Police absence in July unrest questioned at public hearings

The rhetoric had a clear political undertone and had to do with power – Pietermaritzburg business chamber

  • Eunice Masson
4 min read
Community members hold pangas as they stand at a road block in Phoenix Township, North Durban, on July 15, 2021 to prevent looters from reaching the community. – Armed community members and vigilante groups have stepped in to tackle unrest in South Africa, taking matters into their own hands and sometimes stoking violence as security forces struggle to restore order. Understaffed and heavily reliant on private security companies, the police was rapidly overwhelmed when riots and looting first flared last week in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), sparked by the jailing of graft-accused former president Jacob Zuma. (Photo by GUILLEM SARTORIO / AFP) (Photo by GUILLEM SARTORIO/AFP via Getty Images)
ASSAULT

Survivor of Phoenix massacre describes how he was called a monkey, assaulted and shot twice in the back

On day three of the SAHRC hearings into the July unrest, victim Ntethelelo Mkhize disputes the testimony of activist Sham Maharaj

  • Eunice Masson
4 min read