14 July 2021, 17:39 UTC
The ongoing deadly unrest tearing through parts of South Africa has been fuelled by criminal justice failures and years of impunity for violence, Amnesty International South Africa said today as the death toll continues to rise.
South African authorities cannot pretend to be surprised by the proportions this violence has reached. Authorities watched while organised groups blocked the roads, burnt properties and looted shops and factories last week
Shenilla Mohamed, Executive Director of Amnesty International South Africa
Riots began last week in Kwa-Zulu Natal, following the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court. The riots have since spread to Gauteng province and threatening to spill to other provinces and grown increasingly violent – at least 70 deaths have been reported so far, and there has been widespread looting and destruction of hundreds of properties. Amnesty International highlighted how past acts of violence, including the killing of foreign nationals during xenophobic violence have gone unpunished, leading to an entrenched culture of impunity.