Veteran journalist revisits State Capture in chilling detail

A riveting, shocking and at times emotional read, new book invites the public into the depths of State Capture while acknowledging its victims: the people of South Africa. This is a lightly edited excerpt

The first reports started emerging on 9 July 2021, as night fell. Orange balls of fire lit the winter sky, and as you panned closer, the arson targets clarified as trucks being set alight.

On one, eight cars being transported each caught alight and burnt to a cinder. Over that night, 45 more trucks would go up in flames after their drivers were hijacked and tossed out of the cars – the huge freight carriers packed across the road to block the highway.

Goods worth about R3-billion move daily on the N3 in an estimated 6,000 trucks, according to the Road Freight Association.

By the next morning, the arterial N3 highway between Johannesburg and Durban was closed, and cars stretched for kilometres in both directions.

The mayhem had started, and it was organised. It snaked in fire lines through that weekend, moving into Durban and to the outskirts of Johannesburg.

By Saturday 10 July, the western edges of the city’s highways were closed, blocking a key entrance into and out of Johannesburg. The mine hostels just off the highway had erupted into protests calling for the release of former president Jacob Zuma, who had been imprisoned four days before.

By nightfall, the entrances into Vosloorus, Sebokeng and Tembisa were burning as protesters put down rocks and set fires.

By Monday 12 July, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng were in flames as malls and warehouses were looted for more than 48 unending hours. Many were torched, with ATMs ripped from walls, leaving only the carcass of twisted metal and hanging wiring.

Over the next seven days, South Africa would lose 354 people in an orgy of looting and anarchy livestreamed on television sets and into the palms of hands as people watched and scrolled in disbelief.

Three nights later, President Cyril Ramaphosa gave a national address. On split screens, the looting continued as ordinary men and women entered shopping centres and came out with trolleys laden while he spoke.