Dozens dead in protests in South Africa against imprisonment of former president Zuma – telam

Violent riots shake the country for the fifth consecutive day

At least 72 people died and more than 1,200 were arrested in South Africa and five days of violent riots who exploded after him imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma, and the army has deployed hundreds of soldiers in deprived areas of the two provinces where the protests originated, authorities reported on Tuesday.

Numerous deaths have occurred in chaotic scrambles as dozens of people loot food, appliance and clothing stores in the Gauteng provinces, where Pretoria and Johannesburg, the country’s administrative and economic capitals, are respectively. , and KwaZulu-Natal, authorities said.

The first sporadic acts of violence occurred after Zuma, originally from KwaZulu-Natal, began serving a 15-month prison sentence for violating a court order to testify as part of a state investigation into alleged corruption while he was president, between 2009 and 2018.

The first protests last Thursday evening then turned into a wave of massive looting and vandalism in deprived areas reserved for blacks, called townships in local English, although so far they have not spread to the rest of the provinces. where the police are on high alert.

The first incidents, with roads blocked and trucks on fire, occurred on Friday, the day after Zuma was imprisoned, sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of justice.“

The incidents continued on Monday

Sending troops

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a speech to the nation, announced the 2,500 soldiers were sent to help an overwhelmed police force for the riots and to “restore order” in the two provinces.

“No discontent or personal situation of our people gives the right to anyone to loot, vandalize and do whatever they want and break the law,” Security Minister Bheki Cele said at a press conference during which he reported the arrest of 757 people. people across the country, AFP news agency reported.

Cele, who is severely criticized for the inability of security forces to anticipate and deal with the wave of vandalism, warned that those affected by the incidents should not now take justice on their own.

Victims

Meanwhile, the death toll continues to rise.

Nineteen people have already died in Guateng, including ten last night in a stampede, said the Prime Minister.

“Police discovered ten bodies on Monday evening. These people were killed in a stampede,” Prime Minister David Makhura told reporters, before explaining that the total death toll in Gauteng province stands at 19. .

Another 26 people have died in the eastern province of Kwazulu-Natal, the head of the provincial government, Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala, reported earlier.

To these are added six from the areas near Johannesburg, Ramaphosa reported last night.

The incidents erupted after the arrest of Jacob Zuma

Events

The first incidents, with roads blocked and trucks on fire, occurred on Friday, the day after Zuma, 79, was imprisoned.

The acts of violence then spread over the weekend to the suburbs of Johannesburg.

The incidents continued until Monday evening, notably in Soweto, a huge township (disadvantaged areas reserved for “non-whites”) west of Johannesburg.

The violence then spread over the weekend in metropolitan Johannesburg, with incidents continuing Monday evening, notably in Soweto.“

Cele said police would ensure that the situation “does not deteriorate further”, although in the meantime looting of shops in Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg, the capital of Kwazulu-Natal province, has continued.

Tuesday morning dozens of women – some in overalls -, men and children burst into the cold rooms of the Roots butcher’s shop on Diepkloof Square in Soweto and came out with heavy boxes of frozen meat on their shoulders or heads.

Only one private custodian remained at the scene as he attempted to communicate by phone, allegedly to call for reinforcements.

The police just arrived about three hours later and fired rubber bullets.

Zuma’s conviction

Zuma was convicted of contempt of justice at the end of June by the Constitutional Court.

On Monday, that court held a ten-hour hearing in which Zuma’s lawyers called for the sentence to be reviewed.

The court reserved its response for an unspecified later date.

The riots also come at the worst time of an aggressive third wave of Covid-19 cases in the country, which is most affected by the pandemic across Africa, with some 2.2 million infections and some 64 000 deaths. .

Announcing the deployment of the army, President Ramaphosa said it was “of vital importance that we restore calm and stability without delay in all parts of the country”.

“The path of violence, looting and lawlessness only leads to more violence and devastation,” he warned.

“What we are seeing now are opportunistic acts of crime, with groups of people inciting chaos just to cover up looting and theft,” he added.

“There is no grievance or political reason that can justify violence and destruction,” he said, as his predecessor Zuma spent his sixth night behind bars.