Looting of Foreign Owned Shops in South Africa

Four people died last week in South Africa’s biggest township Soweto, after residents went on a looting spree of about two-hundred foreign owned shops claiming that they were selling rotten goods to the communities. Pictures went viral on social media showing the violence that was unfolding and soon it had spread to other parts of the country. Twenty-seven people have been arrested for public violence. Some leaders believe that this is a symptom of far deeper issues affecting community that need to be addressed such as unemployment and poverty.To help us unpack the discussion for the day, we are joined by: • Prof Sheila Meintjies from the Department of Political studies and School of Social Sciences • Gerbrandt van Heerden is a researcher from the Centre for Risk Analysis • Gushwell Brooks is the Spokesperson of the South African Human Rights Commission