[imagesource: Reuters / Rogan Ward]

By now, there’s a good chance you’ve seen your fair share of footage from the looting and unrest that rocked South Africa last month.

If you made it through the full Purge South Africa video, you’ve certainly seen your fair share.

Of course, there are many different takes on what was truly a week from hell for the country. Even if we rebuild what was damaged, the same problems remain, exacerbated by living in the most unequal society on the planet.

Social media also helped stoke the fire, spreading misinformation aimed at fomenting further anger and violence.

VICE News, in a video titled ‘South Africa’s Descent into Chaos’, offers a decent recap of what went down, as well as a look at the how and why of the system that sparked the unrest:

KwaZulu-Natal’s Phoenix has been put under the spotlight, with numerous investigations into exactly what occurred still underway.

There are two articles well worth a read if you’re after a deeper understanding of those events.

The Washington Post has an excellent interactive article, and The Daily Maverick has gone in-depth with an investigation of its own.

[source:vice]