SOUTH AFRICA has been in a war with itself for years, and it seems to be coming to a peak in what some believe is indicative of a future coup as those dwelling in poverty grow restless.
By Samantha Leathers 15:52, Fri, Aug 20, 2021 | UPDATED: 15:52, Fri, Aug 20, 2021
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On August 5 Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, made a statement announcing a cabinet reshuffle.
President Ramaphosa has seen, in the last month, a flurry of detrimental blows to the power of his cabinet, not only has the recent unrest swivelled public values, but three of his most vital Ministers are being replaced.
In addition to this, President Ramphosa appointed 10 Ministers, 10 Deputy Ministers and, in a riskier move, dissolved the Ministry of State Security in his most recent announcement in the hopes of finding a balance between satisfying the public and protecting it from itself.
The president spoke about the riots for one of the first times during this announcement, saying: “Our law enforcement agencies are working hard to bring those responsible to justice, we have acknowledged that our security services were found wanting in several aspects.”
He went on to say that an expert panel will be formed to examine and analyse the shortcomings of law enforcement in these circumstances and how to be better prepared going forward.
This has not been received with overwhelming support, as law enforcement has never been a trusted source of security for South Africans and their recently expanded powers due to the riots and Covid-19 has left many feeling uneasy.
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Some have seen these riots as fully calculated attacks and not as spontaneous as they seem to be.
A former minister of home affairs has noted that the faction fights within the ANC dates back to 2017, when President Ramaphosa narrowly won his presidency from the hands of Nkosozana Dlamini-Zuma – the ex-wife of former president Zuma.
For this exact reason, many believe there is a coup about to begin, and whilst there isn’t much evidence to back these claims at the moment, some fear that by the time there is it will be too late to save what little democracy remains.