The President addressed the country last night.

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed South Africa last night to call for calm after what he referred to as the worst uproars in the history of the country. 

Since the arrest of ex-president Jacob Zuma, parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng have been facing violent lootings, protests and attacks. Shops, vehicles and property have been severely damaged as a result of the protests.

During his address, the President announced that the South African National Defence Force has been deployed to restore peace and order in the affected areas. About 2 500 soldiers are on the ground at the moment to maintain the rule of law. 

Certain communities, though, have taken matters into their own hands by organising civil roadblocks and blocking of roads leading into their suburbs to keep it safe.

Offices and businesses have decided to close their operations in the affected areas as a precautionary measure. This obviously causes major loss to an already fragile economy.

ESKOM has added its voice to the warnings as well by letting the country know that if things don’t improve, it will be unable to supply electricity because its contractors cannot access key points in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

The President stressed that if the looting is to continue, food security in the regions is becoming a massive threat. The vaccine drive in these provinces also had to be cancelled yesterday out of safety concerns, which is also not ideal for the countries fight against COVID-19. 

The fear is that the protests might spill over to other provinces and lead to further chaos.