'There was definitely a massive criminal element' - Jason McCormick on July riots

In July, violent riots and looting sprees ripped through South Africa - devastating KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng and further dismantling our already enfeebled economy. Our country’s week of shame came at a colossal cost of R50bn in lost output, together with the destruction of over 3,000 shops and the theft of almost R120,000 in cash from ATMs.
A number of malls in KZN, owned and managed by Exemplar REITail, were completely ravaged. Jason McCormick, the Chief Executive of Exemplar, did an hour-long presentation at the BizNews Investment Conference earlier this month titled ‘72 hours of Anarchy’. His presentation provided a riveting inside look into the sequence of events which all but desecrated several of Exemplar’s properties. Following his presentation, McCormick sat down with BizNews founder Alec Hogg to further discuss his personal experience and answer questions posed by delegates at BNIC#2 (audio below). Throughout his entire presentation and subsequent Q&A, McCormick demonstrated an exemplary degree of strength and vulnerability. Despite his tumultuous experience, McCormick stated; ‘My overarching feeling coming through all of this is that the good people outnumber the bad.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices