South Africa has mobilized its reserve soldiers and is preparing to deploy thousands of troops in an effort to end the violence that has plagued the country for nearly a week, resulting in at least 117 deaths, according to official sources. A relative calm prevailed on Thursday in Johannesburg, which experienced looting and vandalism over the past weekend following unrest in the Zulu nation, in the east of the country, triggered by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.
Many citizens, used to taking matters into their own hands in a country where national institutions suffer from chronic incapacity, began cleanup and repair efforts. The violence that has shaken South Africa for about a week has led to at least 117 deaths, as the government announced on Thursday, an increase from the previous toll of 72.
In downtown Johannesburg, many stores remained closed, and some traders and staff were cleaning the storefronts. Streets remained blocked with burnt barricades, and smoke rose from the wreckage of burned vehicles. A resident, who requested anonymity, said, "There's no point in anger; we need to start working now."
Michael Sun, head of security in the economic capital for the opposition Democratic Alliance Party, told AFP that "the damage is horrific, and residents are trying to salvage what they can. The worst part is that many traders do not have insurance and have nowhere to turn for compensation." For the first time since Sunday, no reports of looting were received in the city on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, the military was preparing to increase its presence on the ground to stabilize the relative calm in Johannesburg and calm the most tense areas, particularly the major cities in KwaZulu-Natal, the port city of Durban, and its capital, Pietermaritzburg, where incidents are still reported. The highway connecting Johannesburg and Durban was cleared of barricades that had been erected the day after Jacob Zuma's imprisonment.
President Cyril Ramaphosa authorized the deployment of 2,500 soldiers on Monday, which the government doubled on Wednesday. Shortly thereafter, Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula stated that she had requested the deployment of around 25,000 soldiers, which is ten times the number initially dispatched.
Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha, in orders issued late Wednesday night, stated, "All reserve members will report for duty tomorrow morning (Thursday, July 15, 2021) at their units.” Police Minister Bheki Cele welcomed the return of "a certain level of security" in Johannesburg and expressed hope that the military could "reverse the explosive situation in parts of KwaZulu-Natal" by Thursday afternoon.
On the ground, these announcements were met with relief. Musa Mbili-Radibe, 30, participating in cleanup efforts at the damaged Jabulani shopping center in Soweto, said, "The deployment of the army is a good thing because citizens in our country fear the soldier more than they fear the police." He added, "It only took four soldiers to control the situation here while there were thousands of people."
In other areas, such as the town of Vosloorus in southern Johannesburg, citizens enforced the law by beating suspected thieves before handing some of them, handcuffed, to the police, according to an AFP team present at the scene.
