South Africa violence was 'planned and coordinated', says President Cyril Ramaphosa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 16 said that deadly violence and looting in parts of the country over the past week were planned. While speaking to reporters during his visit to the epicentre of the unrest, Ramaphosa said that it is “quite clear” that all the incidents of unrest and looting were “instigated” and there were people who “planned and coordinated it”. He added that his administration is going after those people and they have also identified a “good number” of them. 

“We will not allow anarchy and mayhem to just unfold in our country," Ramaphosa told reporters. 

Amid the violence, Ramaphosa visited the Thekwini region in KwaZulu-Natal(KZN) to review the situation. According to reports, more than 1,700 people have been arrested and 72 people have died in the unrest in South Africa. From chaotic stampedes to loot of electric appliances, food, liquor and clothes from stores, horrific scenes have emerged from the nation.

The protests ravaged last week in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal areas which later escalated into a spree of theft in township areas. The troops stood at the large Maponya mall in Soweto and armed patrols have brought stability to Gauteng. The unrest, however, continued Thursday in KwaZulu-Natal. Volunteer groups meanwhile, cleaned up shattered glass and debris from shops that had been stormed and looted in Johannesburg’s Soweto, Alexandra and Vosloorus areas.

South Africa violence 

The violence rocked the country starting in KwaZulu-Natal last week as demonstrations kickstarted against the imprisonment of former South African president Jacob Zuma for contempt of court. Pro-Zuma protests first flooded the streets after the 79-year-old handed himself to authorities on July 7 to start his 15-month sentence. Even though it all began as a small-scale blocking of roads in Zuma’s home area, the demonstrations gradually intensified and spread to Gauteng followed by criminals taking advantage of the chaos. As of now, lawlessness has not entered the other nine provinces of the country.

It is worth noting that Jacob Zuma was convicted of defying a court order to testify before a state-backed inquiry probing allegations of corruption when he was in the office from 2009 to 2018. As per reports, Zuma has denied corruption and has not even co-operated with the legal process as he began his sentence last week. On July 12, the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court heard Zuma’s application to have his sentence rescinded. 

While Zuma’s lawyer relayed the errors made by the court during his sentencing, the court judges had said that they would study the arguments and announce a decision afterwards. With his surrender, Zuma has become the first South African president ever to go to jail in at least 27 years since apartheid had ended. Shortly after, pro-Zuma protests erupted in the province.

(Image: AP)