28 arrested and highway closed over pro-Zuma protests

Published July 11, 2021
Supporters of former South African President Jacob Zuma block the freeway with burning tyres during a protest in Peacevale, South Africa. — Reuters
Supporters of former South African President Jacob Zuma block the freeway with burning tyres during a protest in Peacevale, South Africa. — Reuters

JOHANNESBURG: South African police said on Saturday that 28 people had been arrested and one of the country’s biggest highways remained closed over violent protests linked to former president Jacob Zuma’s imprisonment.

Protests erupted this week in parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Zuma’s home province, after the ex-leader handed himself over to police to serve a 15-month jail term for contempt of court.

On Friday, the high court dismissed Zuma’s application to have his arrest overturned in a case that has been seen as a test of the post-apartheid nation’s rule of law. An hour before the ruling, a photographer saw a group of protesters shouting “Zuma!” burning tyres and blocking a road.

Zuma’s imprisonment has laid bare deep divisions in the governing African National Congress (ANC), as a party faction remains loyal to the former president and has been a potent source of opposition to his successor, Cyril Ramaphosa.

KZN police spokesman Jay Naicker said the 28 arrests had happened since Friday on charges including public violence, burglary, malicious damage to property, and contravention of COVID-19 lockdown regulations.

He said protesters had set alight some trucks near Mooi River, a town on the N3 highway that leads from Durban to Johannesburg, and shops had been looted in Mooi River and eThekwini, the municipality that includes Durban.

Law enforcement officers had been deployed to all districts in the province but there had been no deaths or injuries so far, he added. As of lunchtime, the N3 was closed at Mooi River.

Ramaphosa, whose allies engineered Zuma’s ouster in 2018, said in a statement that “criminal elements must be met with the full might of the law”.

Asked about the protests by public broadcaster SABC, a spokesman for Zuma’s charitable foundation said: “The righteous anger of the people is because of the injustices that they see being dispensed to President Zuma”.

Zuma was given the jail term for defying an order from the constitutional court to give evidence at an inquiry investigating high-level corruption during his nine years in power.

He denies there was widespread corruption under his leadership but has refused to cooperate with the inquiry that was set up in his final weeks in office.

Zuma has challenged his sentence in the constitutional court, partly on the grounds of his alleged frail health and the risk of catching Covid-19. That challenge will be heard on Monday.

KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala said in a video message the provincial government understood the “extreme anger” of those protesting.

“We find ourselves in a ... unique situation wherein we are dealing with the arrest of the former president,” he said. “Unfortunately violence and destruction often attack and affect even people who are not involved.”

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....
Time to deliver
Updated 11 Nov, 2024

Time to deliver

Pakistan must display a serious commitment to climate change adaptation and mitigation at home.
Smaller government
11 Nov, 2024

Smaller government

THE IMF bailout programme has put the government under pressure to curtail its spending, especially current...
Unsafe inheritance
11 Nov, 2024

Unsafe inheritance

DESPITE regulations, the troubling practice of robbing women of their rightful inheritance — the culprits are ...