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In July 2021, with the imprisonment of Jacob Zuma, dramatic and violent scenes of unrest and looting unfolded in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. More than 340 people, including children, lost their lives, and the damage that resulted exceeded R50-billion. South Africans, and the world, watched in horror.

Why was this happening? And why had the carnage not been contained within hours? Piecing together the full story, award-winning journalists Qaanitah Hunter, Jeff Wicks and Kaveel Singh sifted through hundreds of pages of leaked documents, intelligence briefs and reports from across the Security Cluster.

They found warnings of what was to come that had been issued two months before the unrest began. The highest echelons of government had been alerted, but these early warnings were ignored or cast aside. The result was a country ablaze.

Eight Days in July is a riveting first-hand account of what really happened, reported from the epicentre of the chaos.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Kaveel Singh is a senior journalist and News24's KwaZulu-Natal correspondent. He is a seasoned newsman with twelve years of reporting on hard news, politics, features, investigations and writing the occasional column. He lives in Durban.

Jeff Wicks is a News24 reporter, who won the prestigious Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism in 2021. He has also worked for Sunday Times, The Witness and Sunday Tribune. He is especially interested in investigative and data journalism. He lives in Johannesburg.

Qaanitah Hunter is an award-winning journalist and political editor at News24. She won Vodacom Journalist of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and the Nat Nakasa Journalism Award in 2019. She's the author of Balance of Power: Ramaphosa and the future of South Africa. Her political analysis has featured on many major national and international news outlets.

Eight Days in July: Inside the Zuma unrest that set South Africa alight is published by Tafelberg, an imprint of NB Publishers

Supporters of former eThekwini mayor, Zandile Gumede and her 21 co-accused were visibly angry in court when it was announced that her corruption trial would be postponed to 29 March 2022.

The postponement was, in part, as a result of Gumede's legal representative advocate Jay Naidoo having suggested that the high profile corruption, money laundering and racketeering case be set from July to September 2022.

The news was met with great displeasure by Gumede's supporters, who, despite her legal team motivating for a trial date starting in July next year, accused the State of not having a solid case against her hence the numerous postponements.

Speaking to the media outside the Durban High Court, staunch Gumede ally, Nkosentsha Shezi, questioned why the public and some media houses were denied entry into the court room.

"When she [Gumede] was arrested and her house searched, the media and the public where privy to the proceedings and now that she is being charged with trumped up charges, both the media and the public are no longer allowed to witness the proceedings. If the NPA has nothing to hide, then why is the media not allowed?

"Doing things in secrecy is not giving this case any credibility. What is going to happen is that they are going to slaughter justice in there and Gumede will not have a fair trial," said Shezi.

He accused the NPA of "being used like a gangster" to target people who the current ANC leadership did not consider as allies.

Another Gumede ally, Carl Niehaus, said: "Today uMama uZandile Gumede is again, for the umpteenth time, appearing in the Durban High Court in the perpetually postponed and politically motivated trial against her."

He added that "this harassment must end now".

The case started in early 2019 when the Hawks arrested Gumede and later her co-accused, accusing them of having unduly benefitted after the awarding of a R320-million waste contract in 2017.

In total, the accused face 2 793 charges.

In its docket, the State alleged that Gumede, former city manager Sipho Nzuza and others were involved in a criminal enterprise to fleece the eThekwini metro out of money.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) says it will oppose a bid by two media companies to have the Constitutional Court confirm a high court finding that sections of SA's tax law that allow for absolute tax payer confidentiality are unconstitutional.

The opposition relates to a ruling of the Gauteng North High Court in Pretoria, which ordered the tax agency to share the personal tax files of former president Jacob Zuma with investigative journalism site amaBhungane and weekly business magazine the Financial Mail.

SARS had initially refused to share Zuma's tax records with the media, citing tax payer confidentiality.

Judge Norman Davis, however, ruled that sections of the Tax Administration Act (as well as the Promotion of Access to Information Act), which allowed for absolute taxpayer secrecy were unconstitutional. Davis ruled there had to be a public interest exception to this broad rule.

As the ruling dealt with constitutional matters, South Africa's apex court has to either confirm or reject the ruling. No date has yet been set for the case to begin.

Analysts think it likely that SARS will also ask for direct leave to appeal the ruling that it has to share Zuma's record with the media. The agency has not yet announced whether it intends to do so.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says African countries should not act like former coloniser countries by imposing unscientific travel bans after the discovery of the Omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19.

He said he wanted to engage with the four African countries – Egypt, Mauritius, Rwanda and Malawi – after the UK, US and much of the developed world imposed travel bans.

"I am concerned. Out of due respect to them, they have their own reasons. We would like to have a discussion with them in a way we prefer that they do not react like our former colonisers who are very quick to close Africa down," Ramaphosa told journalists.

Ramaphosa began his West Africa tour on Tuesday during which he will visit Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal.

The week-long visit is an effort to strengthen relations with those countries and to push forward intra-African trade.

According to the Office of the Presidency, Ramaphosa will be accompanied by a delegation of ministers and business leaders in view of growing economic relations and people-to-people interaction between South Africa and these West African countries.

The tour begins with a state visit to Nigeria after and invitation from President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ramaphosa said, "A number of those presidents called to find out if we are still coming and we said yes, we are coming. we rejected this notion that has been propagated by more developed countries and some smaller countries that the Omicron variant should lead to a blockage and ban of travel. We rejected that."

The president also doubled down on his assertion that travel bans imposed on southern Africa in the wake of the new virus variant were discriminatory.

"We [are] insisting that these bans lifted and removed, you don’t contain viruses by imposing bans unscientifically and indiscriminately," he said.

The president said South Africa should be "applauded for having alerted the world about this variant that is beginning to spread around the world".

"We in the south have proven that we've got scientific capability to identify a very threatening variant of the Covid pandemic."

"The least we expected was to be punished by various countries," he said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will this week undertake a visit to four West African countries to build trade and investment relationships that benefit growth, development and employment in each country.

Ramaphosa wrote in his weekly column to the nation that as the country continues to combat the Covid-19 virus, its focus is also on a sustainable economic recovery.

“As part of our economic diplomacy efforts, we are giving renewed attention to promoting trade and investment with countries on our continent. That is why this week I will be undertaking visits to four West African countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal,” he said.

Ramaphosa will be accompanied by a delegation of business people representing sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, construction, consumer goods, renewable energy, healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

“During my visits to Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal over the next week, we will look at how to leverage the opportunities presented by the AfCFTA [African Continental Free Trade Area] to expand the footprint of South African companies into the continent and how we can better support those businesses already operating in other African countries,” he said.

Ramaphosa added that the meeting will also look at how companies from those countries can find trade and investment opportunities in South Africa.

The State visit to Nigeria will coincide with the tenth Session of the country’s Bi-National Commission and will reflect on the progress made in advancing trade and investment between the two countries.

The focus will be on how to support business expansion and job creation in both countries.

Ramaphosa will be participating in an Economic Forum with South African and Ivorian business representatives, to discuss opportunities in existing and emerging sectors such as renewable energy.

“In Senegal, we will discuss how to facilitate greater trade and investment between our two countries. Currently there are South African companies operating in the energy and wildlife tourism sectors among others, and a number of South African companies have expressed interest in entering the infrastructure construction space,” he explained.

Ramaphosa said restoring and rebuilding the country’s respective economies is as important as the fight against the health effects of Covid-19.

“It is our hope that these upcoming visits will not only strengthen fraternal ties with our fellow countries on the continent, but that this will translate into new opportunities for South African businesses, new markets for our products and the creation of employment for our people,” he said.

The deadline for the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to share the personal tax returns of former president Jacob Zuma with two media groups is fast approaching, with no word from the tax agency about whether it intends to appeal.

Two weeks ago, the Gauteng North High Court in Pretoria ordered SARS to supply investigative journalism site amaBhungane and weekly business magazine the Financial Mail with Zuma's tax files for the years between 2010 and 2018.

The publications had launched a joint court bid to access the former president's tax information in late 2019, in the wake of the publication of The President's Keepers, a 2017 book by journalist Jacques Pauw.

Judge Norman Davis ruled that there should be a public interest exception to the tax agency's policy of absolute confidentiality.

A confidential question

SARS had long argued that complete confidentially is needed to get South African to pay taxes, with Commissioner Edward Kieswetter previously describing it as a "sacrosanct pillar" for the agency.

But in his ruling Davis said there was no evidence to show that secrecy was a more important driver of taxpayer morality than the threat of penalties and sanctions.

He ordered SARS to share Zuma's personal tax files with amaBhungane and the Financial Mail within 10 days of his ruling.

AmaBhungane's co-managing partner, Sam Sole, told Fin24 the deadline was on Tuesday, 30 November.

SARS did not respond to a request for comment sent on Monday.

While SARS has not yet said whether it will appeal, analysts think it highly likely the revenue collection agency will try to get the ruling overturned given the weight the agency has placed on preserving confidentiality. But time is getting tight.

The Jacob Zuma Foundation, meanwhile, has said that while the ruling must be appealed, it is looking to SARS to take the lead.

Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla said citizens can be confident that in a matter of weeks, perhaps days, the Department of Health’s (DoH's) scientists will have gotten to the bottom of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.

Phaahla reiterated President Cyril Rampahosa’s message on Sunday evening, when he said the best weapon to fight the virus and the pandemic was vaccination.

The President urged citizens not to panic as the world dealt with the new variant.

The variant was first discovered in Botswana and South Africa, and scientists have also identified cases in Hong Kong, Australia, Belgium, Italy, the UK, Germany, Austria, Denmark and Israel.

“We reiterate that there is no basis for some of the leaders of countries which have imposed these restrictions on travelling for us in South Africa and other countries in Southern Africa. There is no basis for South Africans to panic, We have been here before, this is no new territory. We are now more than twenty months' experience in terms of Covid-19, the various variants and various waves,” Phaahla said.

While scientists work around the clock to understand the new variant, the DoH is preparing health facilities for the fourth wave.

Phaahla said the detection of the new variant and the reaction of some countries had made this matter of even more public interest to all South Africans.

Epidemiologist Professor Abdool Karim said, based on what the scientists know, they expect that the protection of the current vaccines against severe Covid disease, including hospitalisation, was likely to remain strong.

Phaahla said government was engaging countries, especially those which had initiated travel bans against South Africa, to convince them that it was unnecessary.

Karim explained that closing the borders had almost no benefit as it would not stop the Omicron variant from spreading – the virus is already present in many countries. Banning travel from a few countries is only discriminatory, he added.

NEW COVID-19 CASES

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases’ (NICD’s) Dr Michelle Groome said current infections were driven by younger age groups, with Gauteng accounting for 80% of all new cases.

NICD's Dr Waasila Jassat explained that there had been an increase in hospital admissions in Gauteng in the past 14 days, adding that other provinces were not yet showing an increase in admissions or deaths.

Head of Hospital Services at the Gauteng Health Department Dr Freddy Kgongwana said Gauteng has 4 407 beds for the fourth wave. He explained that the department was "boldly secure" in terms of oxygen availability.

“We are seeing mild cases. It is still early days for us as general practitioners. Vaccinated patients are doing better than unvaccinated ones,” said Gauteng general practitioner Dr Unben Pillay.

South Africa said on Friday a British ban on flights from six southern African countries over a new Covid-19 variant seemed rushed, as EU authorities prepared similar moves and the World Health Organization (WHO) convened an emergency meeting.

Scientists have so far only detected the B.1.1.529 variant in relatively small numbers, mainly in South Africa but also in Botswana and Hong Kong, but say they are concerned by its high number of mutations which could possibly make it vaccine-resistant and more transmissible.

Britain said the variant was the most significant one found yet after banning flights from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia from midday on Friday.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU also aimed to halt air travel from the region, describing the variant in a tweet as "of concern".

A WHO working group on virus evolution is due to meet on Friday to discuss whether to officially give it that label, a designation only given to four variants so far.

WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove said in a video posted on Twitter that it could take a few weeks to understand the impact of the variant's mutations.

The rand slumped over 2% against the dollar early on Friday, as the variant unnerved investors. South African hospitality stocks also plummeted.

South Africa will speak to British authorities to try to get them to reconsider their ban, the foreign ministry in Pretoria said.

"Our immediate concern is the damage that this decision will cause to both the tourism industries and businesses of both countries," Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said in a statement.

As Asian countries also moved to tighten curbs, two Welsh rugby clubs in South Africa for a tournament scrambled to leave as soon as possible, and British and Irish golfers withdrew from the Johannesburg Open.

South Africa - the worst affected in Africa in terms of total reported Covid cases and deaths - had been experiencing a lull after a severe third wave of infections, until last week when new infections started to pick up.

On Thursday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) reported 2 465 new cases, almost double the previous day's number. Although the NICD did not link the resurgence to the B.1.1.529 variant, leading local scientists suspect it is the cause.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention strongly discouraged travel bans on countries that had reported the variant. "Imposing bans on travellers from countries where a new variant is reported has not yielded a meaningful outcome," it said.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said on Friday the DA mayors have to focus first on strengthening workable coalitions in the country’s vulnerable metros and municipalities, assuring co-governing parties that the DA will foster a productive and mutually respectful environment.

The November 1 local government elections, which were a huge disappointment for the African National Congress, saw the installation of DA mayors in uMngeni, in KwaZulu-Natal; in Ekurhuleni, in Gauteng; and in the Beyers Naude municipality in the Eastern Cape, among others.

He said mayors must draw up a short-term plan for urgent service delivery and obtain a detailed picture of the municipality – from its financial status, debt and income to its infrastructure backlog, service delivery arrears and current projects.

Addressing the media at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg, Steenhuisen said the party was mindful of the enormous challenge that lay ahead for its mayors, particularly in the hung metros and municipalities where the party was going to have to quickly establish good working relationships with its new co-governing parties.

“I also want to assure our co-governing parties that we will do all we can to foster a productive and mutually respectful environment. We owe it to the millions of residents in these cities and towns, and to every voter who made it possible to remove the ANC there, to prove that multi-party democracy works for them,” he said.

He stated that given the country’s enormous challenges, the party simply could not afford to indulge a government that “lives in the past and clings to its fading history”. That will not solve the country’s problems, he added.

He pointed out that the DA’s talks with other parties that have not signed coalition agreements were still ongoing.

“We are reaching out to these parties as we try to establish majority coalitions in these hung councils. This will be critical if we want to create stable governments that are able to best serve residents,” he said.

Steenhuisen pointed out that this year’s local government election had been a watershed moment in the country’s history as a democracy. .

He said the days of operating in political silos were over, and added that the sooner the party identified its allies, the better off everyone would be.

“You will find these allies all around you. They might sit in the council chamber under the banner of a different party, but many of them want to see the same improvements to people’s lives as you do. We have to find ways to still remain firm and true to our principles, while building and maintaining bridges with council colleagues from other parties. Nowhere is this more important than in the minority governments - and particularly the Gauteng metros - where we are going to have to write a whole new chapter on selfless and cooperative public service,” he said particularly to the DA mayors present at the briefing.

He said mayors would also find allies outside of politics, and noted that cooperation with them was no less important.

“Reach out to NGOs, to civil society, to churches and to educators. Pay attention to groups and individuals who approach you with suggestions - be open to ideas,” Steenhuisen urged his mayors.

Government has urged South Africans to remain vigilant and to exercise all Covid-19 precautions while scientists investigate the newly identified B.1.1.529 coronavirus variant.

South Africa is again on the UK’s flight ban list amid the news of the new variant which has also been detected in Botswana, Hong Kong and Israel.

On Sunday President Cyril Ramaphosa will convene the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) amid scientists working to determine the spread of the new variant and whether current vaccines are effective against it.

The NCCC determines the way forward during the pandemic, based on science and recommendations from the economic and social sectors.

Government is urging all those who have not vaccinated to do so to make sure that they protect themselves against Covid-19.

“Alongside vaccination, the wearing of face masks, frequent washing or sanitation of hands, keeping a social distance and the avoidance of gatherings remain a proven, effective means of stopping or slowing the spread of coronavirus infection," the Presidency says.

Government says it is working with social partners to strike a balance between protecting and saving lives, and enabling people to earn a living and making it possible for the broader economy to recover and grow.