#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Looted stores in Dalton. The small town north of Pietermaritzburg was hit particularly hard by looters.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Save Supermarket in Dalton was completely burned to the ground and the FNB bank next door was looted and all the cash stolen. At Save Supermatket the ATM machines were also broken open and the cash stolen.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

AK Supermarket in New Hanover was ransacked and partially burned.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Looted stores in Dalton. The small town north of Pietermaritzburg was hit particularly hard by looters.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Shopline Cash & Carry in Dalton was plundered and then guttered by fire.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Save Supermarket in Dalton was completely burned to the ground and the FNB bank next door was looted and all the cash stolen. At Save Supermatket the ATM machines were also broken open and the cash stolen.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

A guttered building, left, housing MTN in Dalton, was plundered by looters in the week of July 12. Immediately across the road is the Dalton police station who failed to prevent the catastrophe.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Save Supermarket in Dalton was completely burned to the ground and the FNB bank next door was looted and all the cash stolen.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Save Supermarket in Dalton was completely burned to the ground and the FNB bank next door was looted and all the cash stolen.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Workers clean up the rubble from shops guttered by fire during #ZumaUnrest in the town of Dalton which was hit particularly hard by the looters.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Workers clean up the rubble from shops guttered by fire during #ZumaUnrest in the town of Dalton which was hit particularly hard by the looters.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Looted stores in Dalton. The small town north of Pietermaritzburg was hit particularly hard by looters.

The Cleanup

Led by churches in Pietermaritzburg, the city centre and the Camps Drift factory area were cleaned up by hundreds of volunteers in the wake of the #ZumaUnrest insurrection. On Saturday July 18, 2021 hundreds of volunteers together with municipal workers decended on Camps Drift to clean up in the wake of the destruction. Such events have occured all over the province of Kwazulu-Natal.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Workers clean up the rubble from shops guttered by fire during #ZumaUnrest in the town of Dalton which was hit particularly hard by the looters.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Looted stores in Dalton. The small town north of Pietermaritzburg was hit particularly hard by looters.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Looted stores in Dalton. The small town north of Pietermaritzburg was hit particularly hard by looters.

The Cleanup

Led by churches in Pietermaritzburg, the city centre and the Camps Drift factory area were cleaned up by hundreds of volunteers in the wake of the #ZumaUnrest insurrection. On Saturday July 18, 2021 hundreds of volunteers together with municipal workers decended on Camps Drift to clean up in the wake of the destruction. Such events have occured all over the province of Kwazulu-Natal.

In the wake of the #ZumaUnrest insurrection in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng that saw thousands of looters strip and, on occasions, burn down retail stores, residents have had to queue for food at retail outlets that open up only under heavy guard from private security companies and police. In the weeks to come there is expected to be widespread food insecurity as the supply chains for many communities, particularly in the rural areas and townships will need to be rebuilt from scratch. Communities across economic and colour lines are already uniting to build capacity to feed hungry communities.

The Cleanup

Led by churches in Pietermaritzburg, the city centre and the Camps Drift factory area were cleaned up by hundreds of volunteers in the wake of the #ZumaUnrest insurrection. On Saturday July 18, 2021 hundreds of volunteers together with municipal workers decended on Camps Drift to clean up in the wake of the destruction. Such events have occured all over the province of Kwazulu-Natal.

In the wake of the #ZumaUnrest insurrection, a local entrepreneur sets up a road-side stall to provide bread to the community. In the wake of the insurrection food and fuel were in short supply as there was a concerted attempt to destroy the supply lines of essentials. Social media groups responded with flurries of messages about how to access various categories of groceries from local farmers.

In the wake of the #ZumaUnrest insurrection, a local entrepreneur sets up a road-side stall to provide bread to the community. In the wake of the insurrection food and fuel were in short supply as there was a concerted attempt to destroy the supply lines of essentials. Social media groups responded with flurries of messages about how to access various categories of groceries from local farmers.

#ZumaUnrest - The Sufferers

In the aftermath of #ZumaUnrest, many rural towns in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, were devastated. Shops, grocery stores, hardware stores, mobile phone shops and other retailers were looted and often burned down and ATM machines were plundered for their cash. Testimonies of locals were that armed police stood by as crowds rampaged down the main street of rural towns. While many shop owners were insured, some, particularly foreigners, were not. For them, businesses that took decades of hard labour to build up were lost in just hours. More than 12 days after the looting started in the towns of New Hanover, Dalton and Wartburg north of Pietermaritzburg, the only food available to the surrounding population were mobile street vendours bringing in food from other towns. That situation is unlikely to change for many weeks.

Save Supermarket in Dalton was completely burned to the ground and the FNB bank next door was looted and all the cash stolen.