Were citizens the real heroes? Will there be another uprising? What you said about the July 2021 unrest

In July 2021, parts of SA burned for several days as civil unrest, looting and crime swept KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

The violence and looting erupted after days of protests in KwaZulu-Natal . Linked to the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma, Natal quickly spread to parts of Gauteng.

The riots left 354 dead, destroyed communities and caused billions of dollars in damage.

< p>PODCAST | The bloodiest days in South Africa’s democratic history

As we watched the violence unfold and heard promises that action would be taken against the rioters and instigators, we asked you what you thought of the riots.

Do you think the citizens did more than just the security forces to protect SA during the riots?

As communities, police and army to Protection took to the streets Key infrastructure, we asked about the citizens who took action.

Most respondents to our survey (54%) said citizens are the real heroes and “we should celebrate ourselves” , while 41% said “I couldn’t even tell we had security forces on site”.

What punishment should instigators of the riots face?

President Cyril Ramaphosa promised that those responsible for the unrest would face the full force of the law s.

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We asked what punishment do you think instigators should face?

73% of readers agreed that instigators “should be locked up for terrorism,” while 22% said they should be forced to: “do manual labor and help with physical rehab.”

TRUST THE TALK AND SECURITY FORCES TO REPEAT PREVENT THE JULY UNREST?

Calm down and order restored, many questioned whether intelligence and security forces had done enough.

Many said these authorities had deserted the South Africans and asked if they would be able to prevent a recurrence.

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Seventy-eight percent of readers said these powers were “as useful as a Ashtray on a motorcycle”.

Fourteen percent said they “learned valuable lessons and we i We are in a much better position”.

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