South African Parliament seeks to establish inquiry into recent fatal violence

South African Parliament on Friday said a joint meeting by its several committees resolved to refer a request to establish an inquiry into the recent violence in the country that killed at least 337 people.

The request will be sent to Parliament’s Presiding Officers for further consideration and decision, the parliament said in a statement issued here, adding that the meeting was of the view that the establishment of this inquiry is important in light of the violence, impact of the looting on the economy and loss of life caused by the unrest.

Parliamentary committees had visited KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces, the hotspots of the unrest, following the outbreak triggered by the imprisonment of former South African president Jacob Zuma, with roads being blocked, properties and vehicles damaged and burned.

Speaker of National Assembly (NA), the lower house, Thandi Modise has proposed an extraordinary extended debate in the NA on the unrest to political parties represented in the NA as soon as possible when the NA reconvenes in early August.