JULY RIOTS | How some of KZN’s malls were saved

Co-ordinated, purposeful and collective action by private security, community policing forums (CPFs) and in some cases police, saved some of KwaZulu-Natal’s malls from being destroyed and looted in last year’s unrest.

This was according to a submission made to the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) during its hearings into the violence last month by a social cohesion group of “progressive organisations and individuals from KZN, many of whom have a history of involvement in the South African struggle for national liberation”.

Among them is Ela Gandhi, the granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi.

The group said by making the submission it wanted to add value to the commission’s investigation into the violence “by considering how a repeat of the July events could, and should, be prevented”.

The group said there were “positive lessons learnt from communities and leaders who prevented violence, destruction and economic collapse in their areas through initiatives that could be paralleled in the future”.

Its representative, KZN economic development, tourism and environmental affairs MEC Ravi Pillay, read out its submission providing examples of how “co-ordinated, purposeful and collective action can thwart even the most dangerous of situations”.

The Pavilion, one of Durban’s largest malls, was among the shopping centres that escaped the looting.

“Collaboration and joint action by police and private security prevented the destruction, burning and looting of The Pavilion. In the absence of such action, Durban would have lost one its most important economic centres.”

The Chatsworth Centre was also bravely guarded.

“In Chatsworth, the police and community policing forum worked together to ensure that repeated attempts to attack and destroy the Chatsworth Centre were not successful.

“They secured key access points to Chatsworth, creating a perimeter of security...”

The report also spoke of the efforts of Kokstad mayor Bheki Mtolo to save his town from ruin.

“The mayor of the greater Kokstad municipality, Bheki Mtolo, brought together a nonracial group of people comprising representatives from local community organisations, business, police and agricultural organisations to forge a common approach to dealing with the impending violence and to ensure that people and property were protected. The effect was that this municipality emerged unscathed from the July violence.”

The report said these examples showed the importance of working together.

“They suggested that political will can overcome attempts at ‘insurrection’ and that greater co-operation between the police, community policing forums, civil society and private security companies are key to preventing destruction and violence.”