July Unrest: Wounds yet to heal in affected communities
Tuesday marked three years since looting and mass civil unrest broke out in KZN and parts of Gauteng.
The riots, violence, and destruction of property went on for over a week and left more than 300 people dead.
It began after former President Jacob Zuma was jailed for contempt of court after defying an order to appear before the State Capture Commission.
The SA Human Rights Commission launched an investigation into the riots.
In January this year, they said they found no evidence linking Zuma's arrest to the 2021 July unrest, saying the violence was a symptom of unresolved systematic conditions, like high unemployment, discrimination and socio-economic divides.
Officials from the Abahlali baseMjondolo Movement testified before the commission.
READ: Pre-trial conference for KZN unrest ‘instigators’ set for July
Spokesperson Thapelo Mohapi says people have not yet healed from the impact of the unrest despite the SAHRC findings.
"There's still divide. One of the things we see is that services provided to the people have not been improved."
Former Phoenix private security boss Glen Naidoo also testified at the Commission.
He says not much has changed three years later.
"Everything has returned to normality, people have gone back to their daily business, but there's a very ugly scar that's been left against the Indian community."
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