A state of emergency was not on the cards yet for South Africa amid ongoing civil unrest, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said yesterday.
She said although the unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal was concerning, the situation was not yet at a stage to warrant a state of emergency.
“For now the situation, yes the situation looks like it has gone out of hand and we are all concerned about what is happening, but when he has been advised the president will then declare a state of emergency if a need arises based on that assessment report,” she said.
The riots were initially termed the Free Jacob Zuma and Shutdown protests but turned into the violent destruction of property and looting of businesses.
Mapisa-Nqakula, alongside State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo and Police Minister Bheki Cele, addressed a media briefing of the security cluster yesterday as police arrested around 758 suspects, with 304 being nabbed in KwaZulu-Natal and 454 in the Gauteng province.
Amid fears of the unrest spiralling beyond government’s control, the SA National Defence Force deployed 2500 soldiers to both provinces to protect national key points and assist police.
However, both the DA and IFP said they have not seen the army in the areas gripped by violence.
Political parties have asked for more soldiers to be deployed especially in hotspot areas, saying the violence has not been brought under control at all.
Mapisa-Nqakula said the situation is constantly being assessed.
“As you would know that a state of emergency in a sense will take all the liberties from citizens and the military takes over the country,” she said.
“For now we do not think we’ve reached that point.”