South Africa musters army reserve to curb looting

SOUTH AFRICA gathered its army reserves on Thursday (15) to curb ransacking and rioting that has raised fears of supply shortage.

"All reserve members are to report for duty at first light tomorrow morning July 15, 2021 at their respective units," army chief lieutenant-general Lawrence Mbatha said in orders issued overnight as the unrest entered its sixth day on Wednesday (14).

The government said on Wednesday (14) it would deploy around 25,000 troops to tackle the emergency situation.

Police Minister Bheki Cele said he was confident that the military support would "turn around the volatile situation in parts of KwaZulu-Natal" province, the epicentre of the unrest, AFP reported.

Stores and warehouses in the two provinces were looted, devastating supply chains of food, fuel and medicines.

As per official data, 72 people have died and more than 1,200 have been arrested. More than 800 shops have been plundered in the riots that broke out on Friday (9).

The unrest began a day after former president Jacob Zuma began a 15-month jail term on July 8.

Zuma, 79, was sentenced on June 29 for failing to appear at the corruption inquiry led by deputy chief justice Raymond Zondo in February.

Separately, president Cyril Ramaphosa told leaders of political parties that parts of the country "may soon be running short of basic provisions" following disruption to supply chains.

"The next big crisis will be the threat to food security in KZN, along with the supply of medication and fuel," said John Steenhuisen, head of the opposition Demcratic Alliance.

"Protecting these supply chains must be a priority of the... deployment."