South Africa is on high alert and bracing for a new round of national protests amid inflammatory messages on various social media platforms advocating for violence and a countrywide shutdown on August 23, according to South Africa’s National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure.
There are measures in place to ensure the safety of South Africans with security forces on high alert and ready to maintain stability in the country, the organization said in an emailed statement on Sunday.
A week of riots in July left more than 300 people dead and the ensuing arson and looting across provinces KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng cost the economy an estimated 50 billion rand ($3.3 billion).
The violence marked the worst civil unrest in South Africa since the end of White-minority rule in 1994 and came after the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma on contempt-of-court charges.