Johannesburg - Government has boldly said that no one will be exempt from investigations into those who allegedly incited the violent insurrection that erupted in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last month.
“The investigations will affect anyone, irrespective of whose child they are, which position they occupy, which organisation they belong to, which profession they are in, whether they are a celebrity or not.
“If they are implicated, they will be investigated equally in the eyes of the law,” said Acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, during a media briefing on Thursday afternoon.
Ntshavheni provided a briefing on the outcomes of a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
When probed about a possible Cabinet reshuffle, Ntshavheni told journalists that she was not privy to such information.
She jokingly said that she was also a “turkey”, and turkeys were not told when Christmas was.
Ntshavheni said Cabinet welcomed the efforts of law enforcement to speedily restore stability to the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng following the violent looting, killing and unrest recently.
To date, six suspects have been arrested and appeared in various courts for incitement of the public. Cabinet noted that the number of deaths as a result of the violence had been revised to 354, with the numbers of reported deaths linked to the unrest in Gauteng unchanged at 79 and 275 in KZN as of Wednesday.
For the numbers of reported deaths in KZN, eThekwini Metro accounted for the highest number at 122.
Of the deaths reported in eThekwini, 36 were reported in Phoenix, where 29 murders and seven inquests dockets were opened.
To date, 22 suspects have been arrested for the murders in Phoenix and appeared in court.
Ntshavheni said Cabinet urged the communities in KZN to work together and support government efforts to address racial tensions and undertones “that threatened to undermine the values the founding fathers of a democratic, non-racial and equal South Africa gave up their freedom and lives for”.
Ntshavheni reported that South Africa’s national vaccination programme has fully gathered pace with the public and private health sector vaccinating a minimum of one million people in three days.
To date, over eight million South Africans have been vaccinated.
“At the current pace, the President should soon announce a revised target date for the country to reach population immunity.
“Cabinet continues to call on South Africans to vaccinate, as it remains our most effective weapon in the fight against Covid-19. People can now go to any vaccination site with their identity documents, even without an appointment, to be registered and vaccinated,” she said.
Cabinet also welcomed the delivery of 5.6 million Pfizer vaccines this week, donated by the United States of America, which will ensure an adequate supply of vaccines to intensify the vaccination rollout programme.
Political Bureau