DURBAN - A witness revealed how he was shot in Phoenix during the July unrest on day three of the National Investigative hearing conducted by the South African Human Rights Commission (the Commission or the SAHRC).
The hearing into the unrest that broke out and swept through the country, especially in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, commenced on November 15, 2021, and will continue until December 3, 2021.
On Wednesday, Ntuzuma resident Ntethelelo Mkhize said that he and eight others were returning home after visiting a friend in Cornubia, north of Durban at 3pm on July 12. He had been driving his Nissan double cab bakkie when he was stopped at a roadblock in Palmview, Phoenix.
The road was barricaded with tyres and other objects that were set alight. Mkhize saw two groups of approximately 20 people, including young boys. While searching the bakkie they hurled insults and derogatory remarks at Mkhize and his friends.
He said he was shot four times and lost conciousness while his three friends died from gunshot wounds and his bakkie was also set alight.
The impact of the unrest and its associated activities have been devastating for the country’s economy, which has already been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and further attributed huge financial losses to businesses – small, medium and large – some of which will not be able to recover and re-trade resulting in job losses.
The SAHRC is still accepting written submissions from parties affected by the July unrest, up until December 3, 2021. These submissions can be sent via email: [email protected]
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