Palesa Phili on Thursday gave evidence before the South African Human Rights Commission, which is looking into the causes of the riots and the impact.

"We failed to protect businesses. We failed to protect communities that were vulnerable from suffering that July brought, which is still even happening today and we failed to protect the devastation that we are seeing today." 

She said there was no collaboration between police and private security companies as looting occurred and property was damaged.

Phili said businesses were crippled. 

"SMMEs in the townships their businesses were destroyed. Very painful is that majority of them don't have insurance and we have been going around as a chamber working with different organisations trying to raise funds to help those business people who most of them were their life savings, others went to get loans to start their businesses were destroyed by their own communities, which was absolutely painful."

Earlier, Melanie Veness, the CEO of the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business told the commission they'd always had a good relationship with politicians.

She says in mid-July as pandemonium broke out she tried to get help from them. 

"At the time, I felt like the mayor was telling me what I needed to hear, that not a lot of support that was going to be forthcoming to make any difference on the ground. 

"I think that he commiserated but then there was talk coming back from the ground that he actually agreed with what was happening. So it was very difficult. 

"He never stood with me publicly and said what happened was wrong, there wasn't proactive action taken. I don't know what action he could have taken really I guess."