Durban - It is a year since the July unrest that was marked by looting, arson and violence in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng and led to deaths, destruction and economic damage in the country.
The unrest, which took place from July 9 to 18, was allegedly sparked by the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court.
More than 300 people were killed during the week of unrest which also damaged African-Indian relations particularly in KZN. Among those killed were black people who were attacked by groups of armed Indian residents who had set up makeshift roadblocks in a bid to prevent looting in Phoenix and other areas.
The murders led to heightened tensions in Phoenix and the surrounding communities of Bhambayi and Inanda.
Phezukonke Mthethwa, of the group, Justice For Phoenix Massacre Victims, said the unrest could happen again because the government had not dealt with the root cause which he believed were the lack of jobs.
“The province’s demographics need to be well-represented in the job sphere and in managerial positions in workplaces, because the imbalance causes divisions among races who live in the same community,” he said.
Mthethwa added that African people had been alienated from the KZN economy and for as long as those patterns remained, more destruction could occur.
Pastor Justin Naidoo of the Angelus Mission Church, which preached racial harmony and social cohesion during the unrest, said July 2021 would go down as “an extremely dark time in our history as the city of Durban, and the country”.
“The unrest, looting and violence forced us as a nation to do an introspection and have tough discussions around racism and reconciliation.”
He said social cohesion workshops had been held over the past year and will continue in order to help the communities understand each other.
“We have progressed since July 2021, but there is still a great journey ahead which will require every one of us to take personal responsibility in becoming our brother’s keeper,” he said.
Naidoo reiterated that churches and community leaders must be the first to break down the invisible barriers that separate people.
In efforts to bring the community together, the KZN Department of Education launched a Social Cohesion programme in Phoenix last month to foster unity and cohesion especially among African and Indian communities, through sport, art and culture.
MEC Kwazi Mshengu said the programme was launched during Youth Month because young people must be at the centre of the social cohesion efforts.
Pastor Sibusiso Mtakati says more integration and reconciliation was needed for the people of Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu.
Mtakati was part of a group of church leaders who participated in a reconciliatory workshop last year after the unrest and offered counselling to affected families.
Mtakati added that there were historic injustices experienced by both the Indians and Africans that contributed to the intolerance of one another.
“We can’t pretend that all is well in our communities, these areas have a long history and have once been at war with each other and no proper reconciliation was done,” he said.
Church leaders from Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu and uMhlanga will host a prayer for the victims of the unrest and recent floods tomorrow at the KwaMashu Sports Centre.
A submission to the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), which is leading an inquiry into the unrest, titled “Towards Nation-building”, by a group of activists and community leaders including Ela Gandhi, Yusuf Bhamjee, Baboo Baijoo, and endorsed by Professor Paulus Zulu, Bishop Rubin Phillip and Ashwin Trikamjee and others, reflected on the murders in Phoenix and the issue of social cohesion.
The submission said while the law must take its course, the continued characterisation of the killings in Phoenix as a “massacre” was being used by individuals and organisations to deepen racial division and discord.
“We condemn the perpetrators who carried out these vicious acts without qualification, and strongly believe that the law must take its course in bringing the perpetrators to book.
“We believe that the labelling of the entire Phoenix community, and through the characterisation of the events in Phoenix as a “massacre”, has demonised the entire Indian community, because of the actions of a few.”
The group said it was clear that the “noble ideal of non-racialism” had not been achieved, and more work needed to be done to transform attitudes, values, stereotyping and power relations across all racial groupings.
“The impact of colonialism and apartheid has left enduring negative legacies in all communities. It is therefore not surprising that racialised faultlines have carved themselves into the fabric of our society, and that these would be exposed at times of tension and conflict.”
The group added that social cohesion programmes could no longer be “ad hoc” or fragmented.
“They need to be mainstreamed and be part of programmes at all three spheres of government and find creative expression in the school syllabus.” | Additional Reporting Mercury Reporter