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Even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the economy was already limping along.
Then came lockdowns, another round of Eskom power cuts and a slow vaccine rollout. Things did seem to be looking up though with data indicating an acceleration in gross domestic product in the second quarter.
The outbreak of violence and looting last week, which were sparked by the arrest and jailing of former president Jacob Zuma after he failed to adhere to a court order to appear at the Zondo Commission, changed that projection.
One step forward. Two steps back.
The riots started in KwaZulu-Natal and spread to Gauteng. According to the presidency, R50 billion was lost in output, while 150 000 jobs were placed at risk.
Violence, anger and despair: The week that broke South Africa
No one expected that, a week after former president Jacob Zuma was taken away to serve a 15-month sentence for failing to adhere to a court order to appear before the Zondo Commission, there would be parts of the south coast in KwaZulu-Natal where residents would have to queue for hours to get their hands on the little food left in unlooted stores.
Zuma s arrest last Wednesday was the spark that set off unrest across KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng, fuelled by anger over poverty and unemployment, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the weekend, small pockets of violence broke out, with trucks burnt at Mooi Plaza and protest action in Jeppestown and Hillbrow in Johannesburg. By Monday, TV news screens were filled with images of full-scale looting under way in Durban and other parts of KwaZulu-Natal. The looting rapidly spread to Alexandra, Soweto, Vosloorus, Daveyton and Tshwane in Gauteng.