Last night President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation for the second time in as many days as the country stood on the precipice of destruction with Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal embroiled in chaos. Looters have been on days’ long rampages across the two provinces and the president finally saw fit to deploy the SANDF to help combat the violent situation. Forty-five people have lost their lives and millions, if not billions, of Rands in damage and stolen goods, have racked up. On top of that, food shortages are nearly unavoidable.
Former ANC MP and outspoken party critic, Makhosi Khoza said it best in her column for News24, “The not so presidential Cyril Ramaphosa has finally deployed the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to help restore law and order in the face of ongoing violence and damage to public and private property that has gripped Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), and now, Gauteng.”
While Rob Rose and Razina Munshi called out the “invisibility of law and order, and a weak government” in the Financial Mail. The pair lambasted Ramaphosa for being out of touch with the moment and failing to recognise the grave seriousness these protests have for the legitimacy of his government. Further criticising Ramaphosa for talking about the impact of the looting on supply chains in the country. “As if the looters who were piling flat-screen TVs into their cars would have paused, chastened and ashamed by their impact on supply chain economics.”
Here’s a roundup of the most interesting opinions and analyses:
Covid-19 is still with us and requires a global response – Business Day (For subscribers)
SA was ready to explode – Jacob Zuma’s arrest merely lit the fuse – Fin24 (For subscribers)
A thin veneer of law and order in a violent and angry society – Business Day (For subscribers)
In 4 days, looters have condemned our mothers and sisters to a life of hardship – W24
Not so fun being police minister now, is it, Bheki Cele? – The Citizen
