In July 2021, SA faced one of the most emphatic indicators of social discontent in the post-democratic era as civil unrest erupted in parts of the country, primarily KwaZulu-Natal.
Over a little more than a week starting on July 8, about 350 people lost their lives, many went missing, with some still yet to be found, and thousands were injured. The economic impact was staggering, with an estimated R50bn lost as a result of the violence.
Since then, the country has struggled to make sense of what happened. The Report of the Expert Panel into the July 2021 Civil Unrest highlighted multiple factors that contributed to the events, ranging from opportunistic criminality to systemic socioeconomic grievances, yet public understanding remains unsettled.
The following year brought further challenges when devastating floods swept across KwaZulu-Natal, destroying homes, displacing communities, and leaving more than 40 people dead. Opportunistic looting after the floods compounded the hardship for families and small businesses that had already suffered immense loss.
These voices and experiences are captured in a podcast called Wabhubha uMhlaba (“the land erupts” in isiZulu, produced by the Nelson Mandela Foundation in partnership with the South African Human Rights Commission.
Through long-form interviews with activists, community members, small-business owners, participants in the unrest, and victims of the floods, Wabhubha uMhlaba explores the social, political, and human dimensions of KwaZulu-Natal’s experiences.
It provides a space for reflection, dialogue, and truth-telling, keeping the human impact of these events visible in the public sphere by allowing listeners to hear directly from those affected.
The podcast also explores the complex relationship between the state and citizens and how many residents feel abandoned or betrayed by the social contract.
Given the peace-building work the Nelson Mandela Foundation is doing in KwaZulu-Natal, it has become clear that a narrative project of sense-making is urgently needed for generative and fruitful discourse. Wabhubha uMhlaba invites listeners to learn and participate in building a more informed, empathetic and resilient society.
The Wabhubha uMhlaba podcast is freely available to stream on Podbean. Listen to an episode now:
