LG Factory Looted and Burned in South Africa Riots
14 July, 2021
South African rioters looted and burned a TV factory belonging to Korea's LG Electronics on Monday as political unrest escalated.
Rioting began on July 9, when supporters of former President Jacob Zuma took to the streets in protest against a court decision to jail him for corruption.
The LG plant in an industrial park in the port city of Durban suffered significant damage after some 90 unidentified people looted it at 1:00 a.m. Monday and another 120 again at 2:00 a.m., according to the Korean Embassy there.
Smoke billows from an LG factory as looters make off with electronic merchandise in Durban, South Africa on Monday. /Yonhap
They looted electronic goods, equipment and materials. The production facilities and warehouses were set fire in the afternoon, LG said.
Local TV news showed flames and black smoke coming from the plant, where about 100 workers have been assembling TVs and monitors since 2011. No casualties were reported, but LG suffered billions of won in damage (US$1=W1,145).
The Korean Embassy has warned some 3,300 Korean residents in South Africa to remain indoors if they can and take precautions.
The riots erupted amid a crippling recession and protracted coronavirus lockdown. Unemployment stood at 32.6 percent in the first quarter of this year and youth unemployment at a staggering 46.3 percent.
The average daily number of coronavirus cases has been about 20,000 this month, but only 6.4 percent of its 59 million people have been given at least their first vaccine shot.
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