Politics

President Ramaphosa’s Response to the July Unrest Was Unacceptable, Says Hlaudi Motsoeneng

Wednesday, February 09, 2022 at 12:29 PM by Claudia Gross 3 min read

Hlaudi Motsoeneng believes that President Cyril Ramaphosa should resign because of how he responded to the July 2021 unrest
Ramaphosa recently released a report detailing the government's response to the riots and looting
The report found that Ramaphosa and his security council did not react correctly to the situation and were unprepared

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JOHANNESBURG - Hlaudi Motsoeneng, the leader of the African Content Movement (ACM), has publicly called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign due to how he handled the July unrest last year.

Motsoeneng's remarks come after Ramaphosa released a report on the investigation into the unrest. The investigation was conducted by a panel of experts hired in August to review how the government responded to the looting and riots, particularly in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

According to TimesLIVE, Motsoeneng believes that the report shows Ramaphosa failed to execute his mandate in the situation. The ACM leader wants the president to take responsibility for what happened and not correctly fulfil his oversight role.

What the report revealed about the July unrest

The report discovered that the National Security Council did not have the regular meetings they were supposed to before the unrest, which left them unprepared when the situation occurred, The Sowetan reports. In addition, the report adds that many smaller protests took place in the period when they were not meeting, which means those were not addressed correctly either.

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“We fully agree with the findings of the ‘July Unrest’ report saying that there must be accountability, Ramaphosa has shot himself in the foot by appointing a commission to investigate his own performance,” Motsoeneng said.

Motsoeneng said that Ramaphosa was "sleeping on the job" and ignored the warning signs that he needed to step in and address the situation. He added that the president should have fired the relevant ministers within the security portfolio.

South Africans weigh in on Motsoeneng's remarks

@Keu36530372 remarked:

"Look who is speaking."

@NkabiBongs asked:

"Has Hlaudi paid back the money?"

@LESIBADAVID4 believes:

"This man has expired a long time ago."

@k_khomotso said:

"He's telling the truth though."

@theo54056442 shared:

"Hlaudi knew about "oversight", well I never."

"Waste of time": Unrest instigator Bonginkosi Khanyile to stand trial in August

Speaking of the July unrest, Briefly News recently reported that the trial of Wits University Fees Must Fall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile is set to take place in the Durban Regional Court in August this year.

Khanyile is accused of flouting Covid-19 health and safety protocols and inciting public violence amid widespread looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July.

At the time of the unrest, Khanyile, appearing in court on Tuesday following a pre-trial conference, is said to have called on a group of people in Durban to show their support to former president Jacob Zuma, who, at the time, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of court.