South Africa: Violent protest, looting and burning leaves at least 72 dead/BBC
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Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa was convicted of contempt of court last month when he failed to attend an inquiry into corruption during his presidency. At the age of 79, he was later found guilty and given a 15-month jail term by the court of law where he will later hand himself to the prison authorities.
Following his imprisonment, His supporters have been protesting against the decision which has resulted in violence; ransacking, looting and burning of business facilities
At least 72 persons have been killed because of the riot as of Monday (BBC).
BBC is reporting that more a lot of damage have been recorded as a result of the protest with the burning and looting of more than 200 shopping malls by Monday afternoon. Bloomberg news agency quoted the chief executive officer of Business Leadership South Africa, Busisiwe Mavuso, as saying. Several shopping centres in Soweto – South Africa’s largest township which was once home to Nelson Mandela – have been completely ransacked, with ATMs broken into, restaurants, stores selling alcohol and clothing shops all left in tatters.
In an attempt to stop the violence, the South African Soldiers/Police have managed to arrest at least 800 rioters according to BBC news.
What’s behind the riots?: By Farouk Chothia, BBC News
The catalyst was the arrest last week of Zuma, with his supporters blockading major roads – the economic arteries of the nation – as they demanded the release of their political hero.
Low income levels and unemployment – standing at a record high of 32.6% among the workforce and even higher at 46.3% among young people – are seen as the ticking bombs that have exploded.
Many South Africans have been shaken by the riots that have swept through Zuma’s political heartland of KwaZulu-Natal and the economic hub of Gauteng.
And many feel that successor as president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has failed to provide decisive leadership – either to calm anger over Zuma’s imprisonment or to reassure South Africans that they will be safe.
Mr Ramaphosa was accused of belatedly deploying troops – and only 2,500 of them compared with the 70,000 he deployed to enforce a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 last year.
But there is no agreement over the deployment – the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) opposition party has opposed it, saying the solution lies in “political intervention and engagement with our people”.
Many residents in affected areas have remained at home, and some have formed what local media call “defence squads” to protect their neighbourhoods and businesses as looting and burning continues.
There is no doubt that the unrest is the biggest security challenge that Mr Ramaphosa has faced since he became president in 2018 after ousting Zuma. It is bound to worsen the economic crisis, already hit by the pandemic, given the scale of destruction.
Read details here: South Africa Zuma riots: Looting and unrest leaves 72 dead – BBC News
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
