Govt caught off guard by July unrest, Ramaphosa tells SAHRC

He made the admission in Sandton on Friday morning during the South African Human Rights Commission's investigative hearings into the week-long chaos. 

"We were poorly prepared for an orchestrated campaign, public violence, destruction and sabotage of this nature. Neither the security forces nor the government broadly anticipated the nature, extent and the veracity of these events."  

Ramaphosa says since then, they have made a number of changes to ensure that critical state security organs are not caught sleeping again. 

"We have begun the process of filling vacancies that were vacant. We have also reestablished regular intelligence briefings for the president and there are also briefings that will be taking place henceforth to Premiers. There will be consequence management on conclusion. We have four investigations currently underway."  

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Earlier, Ramaphosa said his appearance before the South African Human Rights Commission's hearings into the unrest demonstrates that no one is above the law. 

He read from a statement he prepared to deliver at the start of his testimony. 

"As I said in an address to the nation on 16 July 2021, using the pretext of a political grievance, those behind these acts have sought to provoke a popular insurrection. 

"They have sought to exploit the social and economic conditions under which many South Africans live, conditions that have worsened since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and to provoke ordinary citizens and criminal networks to engage in opportunistic acts of looting.”