Then and now: Phoenix was a flashpoint during the riots that shook KwaZulu-Natal in July 2021. A year later, survivors and mourners gather to take stock of a tragic time.
In July 2021, after the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court, KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng were engulfed in violence, looting and unrest.
Briefing the media on Friday, Defence Minister Thandi Modise said 64 cases were being investigated in Phoenix: “A total of 69 suspects were arrested for various crimes, 36 of these were arrested for their alleged respective role in the murder of 35 people and 31 people were arrested for attempted murder.”
“We told our counterparts from the other communities that we don’t condone racial violence and the people who perpetrated the killing must be arrested and face prosecution. We [said] the murders were committed by certain people, not the whole community of Phoenix,” said Maharaj at the time. Days passed before she was given a police escort – on the day Police Minister Bheki Cele visited Phoenix and surrounding areas.
She added that her husband’s insurance company recently concluded the vehicle was not anywhere near the looting hotspot and informed her she would only have to pay an excess of R23,000.Also still traumatised is Zithobile Matyobo , who is now the convenor of a local peace committee task team helping Phoenix victims and their families to seek assistance and justice.
“When we reached the hospital my friend was so weak, barely breathing. We telephoned the Phoenix police to escort us back home, with the crying baby of my friend. They had one police van in front of our vehicle and another at the back. But, still, the vigilantes were baying for our blood. “Many of the victims had nothing to do with [the] looting; they just found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time,” recalled Myeni.
“But when I passed one area I was stopped by a group of people who started attacking and stoning our vehicle. When I came out of the car to tell them that I stay in Phoenix, one of the men pulled out the key from the ignition. “As we were escorted by the police, I saw my car was still burning into ashes. Also, we saw many black people, including security guards, were being attacked and beaten.”“It’s a pity the government was able to compensate businesses who were affected by the looting and burning. Us black people, who lost our vehicles and our livelihoods, are still suffering with no end in sight,” he said, adding that he and his partner are still paying off the vehicle that was torched in the violence.
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