JOHANNESBURG: President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the unrest that has ripped through South Africa in the past week was stabilising and calm has been restored to most of the affected areas, but the destruction will cost the country billions of rand.
Ramaphosa was on Friday addressing the nation over the rioting that broke out in several parts of the country last week after his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, was jailed for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry.
The unrest swiftly degenerated into looting which has destroyed hundreds of businesses and killed over 200 people, driven by widespread anger over the poverty and inequality that persist nearly three decades after the end of white minority rule.
The police has arrested over 2,500 people suspected to be involved in inciting violence and that these cases are being prioritised, Ramaphosa said.
"It is our firm view that the deployment of our security forces, working together with communities and social partners across the country, will be able to restore order and prevent further violence," he said.
"We will extinguish the fires that are raging, and stamp out every last ember."
The president said using the pretext of a political grievance, those behind these acts have sought to provoke a popular insurrection.
"They have sought to exploit the social and economic conditions under which many South Africans live," he said.
The long-term social and economic cost of the unrest was also becoming clearer, with calls for the government to address underlying problems to head off more violence and despair.
Wall Street bank JPMorgan said the unrest would force South Africa's economy to contract by 3% in the third quarter and drag down full-year growth.
The head of the armed forces, Lieutenant General Rudzani Maphwanya, addressing soldiers in Alexandra, Johannesburg, said: "It is no longer just thuggery, this is economic sabotage...It is a threat to our people so you have to restore that freedom."
The Nelson Mandela Foundation - a legacy of the late leader of the anti-apartheid struggle and South Africa's first Black president - said violence had been growing at "disturbing levels" in the last two decades. - Reuters
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