SANDF Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya is expected to appear before the Human Rights Commission’s hearings Gauteng leg of the July 2021 unrest this afternoon.
This comes after Maphwanya failed to arrive at the hearings last Wednesday to testify. According to the SANDF, there was miscommunication on their side.
For the unrest, President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed the SANDF members during the chaotic situation South Africa was in. According to Ramaphosa, the aim of the soldiers was to stabilise, maintain peace and order and also make sure that unrest did not continue.
However, eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda yesterday told the Commission that the July unrest was triggered by the Constitutional Court’s judgment of June 29, 2021 where former president Jacob Zuma was found guilty of contempt of court and sentenced to a period of 15 months imprisonment.
When Minister Bheki Cele appeared before the Commission last week, he said the intelligence agency deliberately withheld reports that could have helped the SAPS tackle the violence that broke out during the July unrest.
The July unrest claimed more than 350 lives and caused huge damage to businesses and infrastructure in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng worth over R50 billion. Local businesses were damaged, jobs were lost and community members were left stranded by the unrest.
A number of witnesses previously told the commission that they believed the unrest was “organised” and “well-focused” to damage the economy and bring the government to its knees.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission is doing an inspection today in Alexandra township, Joburg on areas that were badly damaged or affected by the July unrest.
Political Bureau