Hawks Arrest More Alleged Instigators of July Unrest and Looting, Over 40 Arrests Made So Far

• The Hawks have arrested 46 alleged instigators of the week-long looting and crime spree that spread across parts of South Africa in July 2021
• The head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya, said the Hawks have only arrested half of the suspected instigators
• The authorities remain tight-lipped on whether the unrest was an attempted insurrection like President Cyril Ramaphosa suggested in July last year

PRETORIA - The Hawks have arrested a total of 46 alleged instigators of the unrest that rocked South Africa in July 2021.

Hawks boss Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya led a media briefing on Tuesday, 23 August where he lauded the success of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) in investigating the July unrest and the supposed instigators of the week-long looting spree that spread across parts of the country.

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Hawks have arrested two more people linked to the unrest, which brings the number of new suspects arrested on Tuesday to 11.

According to Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, 10 arrests were carried out in Gauteng and one in the Western Cape, bringing the number of alleged instigators to 46 since the start of the investigation, TimesLIVE reported.

According to News24 Mbambo said that 10 out of the 11 people will face charges of conspiracy to commit public violence, incitement of public violence and arson. They will appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, 25 August.

Lieutenant-General Lebeya was tight-lipped regarding whether the unrest was orchestrated or not, but he did say that the Hawks had only passed the halfway mark in terms of arresting the people who played a role in instigating the July riots.

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South Africans weigh in on the new arrests

Some social media users congratulated the Hawks on the arrests, while others questioned when high-profile alleged instigators would be arrested. Here are some comments:

@passenger747 asked:

“So out of the 12 which they said they knew who were behind it, how many more to go? ”

@Dengagodengmai1 added:

“As long Dudu is not yet arrested, please stop with your update.”

@NtlatlapaBokang commented:

“Slowly but surely, you're getting there. we see you.”

@EustaceThabiso posted:

“Waste of state resources.”

July unrest: Protests, looting and violence, businesses in KwaZulu-Natal still rebuilding a year later

In a related matter, Briefly News reported that almost a year ago, KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng were thrown into chaos when unrest descended that led to violence, looting and deaths.

Several businesses are still rebuilding, and others have closed their doors, causing more unemployment in the already besieged economy.

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KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala said in an interview with SABC News that the anniversary of the unrest brings back memories of several people killed. A year later, he said plans are in motion to reconstruct the economy. Zikalala said several factories and warehouses were destroyed.

Source: Briefly News