We were unaware it would escalate to that level. Our first job wasn’t public order, it was to defend national key points. We were caught with our pants down. We warned the police, but nothing was done.

The blame game is playing out like a table tennis match as government leaders, the police, military top brass and community leaders testify before an SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) inquiry into last year’s devastating July riots.

But while the buck gets hit back and forth in the upper echelons of power, these words are cold comfort for the families of the more than 300 people who died...