THE increase in service delivery protests since 2014-15 has resulted in a 90% rise in insurance claims due to losses incurred from riots compared to previous years, says Thokozile Ntshiqa, executive manager of stakeholder management at the South African Special Risks Insurance Association (Sasria).The Institute for Security Studies says SA is one of the most protest prone countries in the world and warns that confrontational and violent strikes have become deeply entrenched in the protest culture.Sasria is the only insurer in the country that insures against damage and loss to businesses caused by strikes and terrorism.Ntshiqa says they have seen the severity of losses increase, while the frequency of service delivery protests has also risen with claims between April and July this year amounting to R214m.It is normal to see a spike in protests ahead of elections, says Ntshiqa in reference to the violent protests across SA before the August 3 local government elections.Despite the ri...
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