SA’s short-term insurers are battening down the hatches amid ongoing unrest sweeping the country, with most saying they are referring claims stemming from the crisis to the SA Special Risks Insurance Association (Sasria), the state-owned insurer set up to provide cover for riots, strikes and acts of public disorder.

While it is still too soon to estimate the monetary value of insurance claims that will inevitably flood in once the unrest subsides, claims are likely to be substantial given the industrial scale of looting and damage to property. Durban and Johannesburg have been particularly affected, with the N3 highway between the cities, which transports a substantial portion of SA’s goods and fuel trade, largely closed off to traffic...