The Commander-in-Chief of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Friday visit trouble spots in KwaZulu-Natal, where nearly 100 people have died in the unrest.
As many as 32 schools have been vandalised adding to the billions of rand of destruction to infrastructure in the province that is still experiencing looting.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa will this morning, Friday, 16 July 2021, undertake an oversight visit to Ethekwini, KwaZulu-Natal, to assess the impact of recent public violence and the deployment of security forces,” the Presidency announced in a statement.
Ramaphosa will interact with the provincial government and security forces.
“The President’s visit follows the government’s engagement throughout the week with different sectors of society, including organised business, interfaith leaders and political parties represented in Parliament,” said the statement.
More soldiers have been deployed by the SANDF to KwaZulu-Natal, where sporadic looting continues even as authorities recover stolen goods from houses.
Police said 91 people had been killed in the unrest in Durban, where more than a thousand people have been arrested for public violence and looting.
On Thursday, Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbidzo Ntshavheni said that 10,000 soldiers were already on the ground.
She said work was underway to reopen key transport routes such as the N2 and N3 to allow food and supplies through.
