The riots and looting of July 2021 left a seemingly endless trail of economic mystery for many in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. In Phoenix, families continue to mourn loved ones who fell victim to vigilante attacks, while demanding justice from police and government. Many in South Africa fear a new wave of violence may be imminent in the wake of recent fiery attacks on trucks in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

The Jeena Wholesale Centre, just outside Umlazi township, south of Durban, is still a black skeleton of a burnt-out building, a grim symbol of the July riots that took place in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and some parts of Gauteng exactly two years ago.

While many towns and cities have rebuilt and refurbished places that were looted and or torched during the violence that was described by President Cyril Ramaphosa as "insurrection" perpetrated around "ethnic mobilisation", this place is still standing, as a reminder to all and sundry about what happened during the weeklong mayhem, which resulted in the death of more than 350 people, led to the closure of shops and factories, with the total cost to the economy said to be above R50-billion.

The chaos and mayhem were triggered by political allies of the former president Jacob Zuma, in reaction to his incarceration for contempt of court.

According to Statistics South Africa, the July 2021 riots resulted in huge job losses as they interrupted a four-quarter economic growth streak, with GDP contracting by 1.5% in the third quarter. The riots, it said, were the most expensive in post-apartheid South Africa.

The torching of 16 trucks in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga...