Four Years Since South Africa Burned: What the July 2021 Riots Left Behind

Back in July 2021, something in South Africa broke.
What began as a protest over the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma quickly spiralled into something far more devastating. In just a few days, cities burned, communities fractured, and over 300 lives were lost. Now, four years later, the smoke has cleared, but the scars remain.

When the System Disappeared

For residents of KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng, those days were pure chaos. Supermarkets were emptied. Trucks were set ablaze on highways. Entire neighbourhoods shut their gates and formed watch groups to protect homes and loved ones.

Official estimates put the economic damage at over R50 billion. But the deeper loss was trust, trust in the state. The government response was absent when it was needed most.

A later investigation by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) confirmed what many already felt: there was no coordinated government reaction. Intelligence warnings were ignored. Police were unprepared. Leadership failed.

“We Protected Ourselves”

Philile Ntuli, one of the SAHRC commissioners who reviewed the unrest, summed it up clearly: South Africans were forced to defend themselves.

Her report found that communities across the country took to the streets not to loot, but to protect. From makeshift roadblocks in Phoenix to armed patrols in Soweto, ordinary people tried to fill the vacuum left by the state.

It wasn’t unity. It was survival. And it left behind trauma, resentment, and a wave of mistrust between citizens and the institutions meant to protect them.

Have We Learned Anything?

Since then, a handful of top police and intelligence officials have resigned or been removed. But tangible reform remains elusive. For many, that’s the problem.

Social media this week is filled with frustration. “We still have no plan if it happens again,” one post read. “Same leaders. Same silence.”

Many fear that if political unrest returns, the state will once again be too late to act, or simply unable.

The Silence Between Anniversaries

Unlike events publicly commemorated, the July riots are remembered mostly in silence. In small businesses that never reopened. In families still grieving loved ones lost in the mayhem. In neighbourhood WhatsApp groups that never disbanded.

This isn’t just history. It’s a warning still waiting to be heard.

A Quiet Anniversary, A Loud Reminder

Four years later, South Africa hasn’t forgotten. But has it learned?

The July 2021 unrest revealed how quickly things can fall apart and how fragile the line between order and chaos really is.

Until real steps are taken to strengthen intelligence, restore public trust, and hold leadership accountable, the fear remains: it could all happen again.

Also read: ‘Catch Us If You Can’: Lenasia Kidnappers Taunt Police Before Raid Ends in Gunfire

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Source: eNCA

Featured Image: Daily Maverick