The riots that shook South Africa
What’s happened?
he worst unrest since the end of apartheid left at least 330 people dead last month and shone a spotlight on the corruption, racial tensions and vicious political rivalries that plague South Africa – as well as its exceptional, entrenched economic inequality. In a wave of rioting and looting, about 40,000 businesses were vandalised, with the damage estimated at around $3.4bn. After a week of mounting chaos, order was restored when the government sent 25,000 troops to KwaZulu-Natal province around Durban (the largest port in sub-Saharan Africa) and Guateng province around Johannesburg (the country’s
