The toll of violence in South Africa rose Thursday, July 15 to 117 dead, as Johannesburg, the largest city in the country, found relative calm and began to clear the rubble of the destruction.
The megalopolis is "
largely calm,
" said Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, attributing the decrease in the number of incidents to the deployment of soldiers to reinforce the police.
Read also: South Africa: anti-Covid vaccinations suspended by violence
In all, 26 people died there in a context of looting and fires, against a backdrop of endemic unemployment and new anti-Covid restrictions.
To which must be added 91 deaths in the province of Kwazulu-Natal (East) where the violence began six days ago, after the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.
There, in the Zulu country, "
things are improving
" too, "
we are heading towards stability,
" added the minister.
2,200 arrests
She mentioned the many places in the country, where South Africans play vigilantes.
“
Some brandish guns in apparent response to incidents.
If they have the right to protect their property, their life, their neighborhood
”, they must ensure that they do not act“
in violation of the law
”.
Earlier today, the Minister of Police said there were 20 deaths in Phoenix, a township near Durban (East) where members of the Indian community attacked suspected looters.
And affirmed that the situation there remained tense.
2,203 people have been arrested to date in the country.
To read also: South Africa: the Zulu king calls for "peace"
Bheki Cele had noted the day before that "
racial tensions marred these disturbances
" in Phoenix, linked to groups seeking to "
protect their neighborhood from looters
."
Videos of incredible violence circulate on social networks, spotted in particular via the hashtag #PhoenixMassacre.
They show men of Indian origin brutally beating young black men on the ground.
Elsewhere, as in the township of Vosloorus, south of Johannesburg, others take the place of the police, beating up suspected looters before handing over some, handcuffed, to the police, according to a report. AFP team on site.
The cleaning has started
Many South Africans, relying only on themselves, have also started to clear and repair.
The South African presidency tweeted Thursday its thanks to "
those who engage in the clean-up operations
".
In central Johannesburg, many stores are closed.
Streets remain blocked by charred barricades.
"
It's no use being angry, you have to roll up your sleeves now
", testifies a resident concerned about maintaining his anonymity.
"
The most terrible thing is that many traders are not insured, they can not hope for any compensation,
" said Michael Sun, a politician in the municipal opposition, to AFP.
Read also: South Africa: Zuma's imprisonment triggers riots
The army will increase its troops on the ground, to stabilize Johannesburg and pacify the most tense areas, in particular the large cities of Kwazulu-Natal (KZN, East), the port of Durban and its capital Pietermaritzburg. “
All reservists must present themselves at dawn
” Thursday “
in their respective units
,” the army chief announced on Sunday. Up to 25,000 soldiers are expected. "
The military is a good thing, because with us, people are much more afraid of a soldier than of a policeman,
" said Musa Mbele-Radebe, 30, among the hundreds who cleared the ravaged shopping center of Jabulani ("
rejoice
" in Zulu) in Soweto.
