South African riots highlight importance of insurance

The violence in South Africa witnessed during July is ample reminder that riots and civil commotion can occur anywhere, at any time, with very little prior warning.

Nowhere is this truer than in Africa.

In addition to the week-long rioting and looting across South Africa, which left over 300 people dead and has been described as the worst violence in the country since the end of Apartheid, unrest has recently erupted in Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), Mozambique and Zambia.

Many countries on the continent are in a volatile state when it comes to political violence.

As has been seen in South Africa, what starts as a political protest – in this case against the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court – can quickly spark wider protests about a range of other issues, and erupt into the kind of violent displays seen.

There is no easy way of predicting when rioting on this scale will break out, and anyone can be a victim, with almost no way of preventing it.

Rioting like this can be disastrous for the businesses caught up in it, which may be subject to arson, looting or other wanton destruction. The South African Property Owners Association has estimated the cost to KwaZulu-Natal province’s GDP (where much of the rioting took place), including damage to stock, property and lost exports, at R20bn ($1.4bn).

Many businesses will not be able to come back from this.

Often the only way businesses can protect themselves from the impact of riots is by purchasing insurance.

Rokstone brings A rated Lloyd’s capacity to Africa to protect businesses with Political Violence & Terrorism cover that uniquely reflects the emerging and current threats in Africa, with additional emphasis on crisis management, victim support and rehabilitation.

Brokers can access our facility, with capacity of USD100m per risk, and obtain a quote within 24 hours.

This A rated cover is difficult to obtain anywhere else in the African PV&T market, and includes protection against the kind of extreme riots recently seen in South Africa.

At a time when volatility is heightened, ensuring business clients are aware of their exposure to significant losses from rioting is something all brokers should be doing.

Contact our Mauritius-based team to start a discussion about the cover that can be put in place.

It can be the difference between a client being forced to shut down, and being able to successfully rebuild.

Contact Rokstone Mauritius:

Vinaye Seebaluck, Director and Head of Underwriting

[email protected]

+230 594 483 53