-Naadiya Adams

Rivalry within South Africa’s ruling party is rife, as ANC goes up against ANC in the much-anticipated inquiry into the recent unrest that plagued South Africa just three weeks ago.

As Parliament sets up the ad hoc committee which will lead the inquiry, the Democratic Alliance has called for complete transparency of the process.

DA Shadow Security Minister Dianne Kohler-Barnard penned a letter to the National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Amos Masondo to ensure the committee was set up adequately.

In an interview with Radios Islam, she explains why the inquiry proceedings need to be open book as factions within the ANC will be investigating each other.

“The outcome of those nine days of violence and I live here in KZN, was 45 000 businesses stripped, damaged infrastructure, we’re talking R20 billion and overall to the GDP of this province we’re taking R50 billion. So a hundred malls have been burnt and who is to blame?” said Kohler Barnard.

The DA is calling for a member of the opposition party to sit as co-chair on the committee to both the NCOP chairperson as well as the National Assembly to ensure the body’s independence.

A major point of contention is State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo’s claim that intel was sent to SAPS to alert them of the imminent violence however Minister of Police Bheki Cele says he received no information. The contradicting versions have raised eyebrows across the board.

“He [Cele] threw her [Dlodlo] under the bus and there’s all this infighting but the infighting may well reflect the factions within the ANC,” says Kohler-Barnard.

As the inquiry will take place at Parliamentary level, those implicated will be subject to possible criminal investigations based on the committee’s findings, however Kohler-Barnard believes these investigations will need to be undertaken by the Justice Ministry rather than the police themselves.

As KZN resident, Kohler-Barnard says there was not a cop in sight at the time of the insurrection.

“Civilians were left on their own, they were calling police stations, phones just rang… we were watching in TV as thousands and thousands of people descended on Springfield, just looted and burned everything and everyone was terrified that they were next. And there was not a sign of a cop anywhere. And the ones on the coast ran out of ammunition and just stood and watched,” explained Kohler-Barnard.

SAPS comes at a cost of around R100 billion rand a year and they ran out of bullets says Kohler-Barnard, it was the South African National Defence Force which eventually stepped in and managed to curb further damage.

South Africa plunged into anarchy following the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma last month that saw Kwa-Zulu-Natal go up in flames as thousands of businesses were trashed and looted. The unrest later spread to Gauteng and Johannesburg was hard hit. At least 300 people were killed amid the violence.

The insurrection sparked debates around poverty and laid bare the suffering of hundreds of South Africans but the political rivalry runs deep and the cracks within the country’s ruling party have begun to show.

Security forces will be on high alert when Jacob Zuma’s case heads to the Pietermaritzburg High Court on August 10th, as warnings of a second insurrection have surfaced.

Listen to the full interview here: