After the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma, his supporters in South Africa have fiercely violence.
Violence in South Africa (AFP)
Violence in South Africa has started in the country after the former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma was sent to jail. Dozens of people have been arrested so far. The 79-year-old former president handed himself over to the authorities on Wednesday to serve his prison sentence. Since then, Zuma supporters started protesting. But now the police say that criminals are taking advantage of the chaos. The violence has spread from Zuma’s home state of KwaZulu-Natal to Johannesburg. So far more than 60 people have been arrested.
On Sunday, protesters armed with sticks, golf sticks and batons were seen marching through Johannesburg’s central business district. According to the country’s intelligence body, around 300 people blocked a major highway in Johannesburg the night before. About 800 people were also involved in the shooting of a police officer in Alexandra, a township in South Africa’s economic center Johannesburg. At the same time, two other officers were also injured in this incident. Police also reported reports of looting in both Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal.
President Cyril Ramaphosa urges people to make peace
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Jay Naiker told Reuters news agency that it was not yet clear whether the Johannesburg incident was linked to Zuma supporters. He said that criminals and opportunists want to strengthen themselves by taking advantage of the situation. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appealed to the people to maintain peace on Sunday evening. Ramaphosa also admitted that some people are angry. But such violent, destructive and disruptive actions make no sense.
Jacob Zuma is guilty of contempt of court
The jailing of a former president is unprecedented in South Africa. Zuma has been found guilty of contempt of court and is serving a 15-month prison sentence. During his tenure, he was accused of corruption. Zuma was supposed to appear in court regarding this, but he did not appear. After this he was given a prison sentence. On the other hand, Zuma has denied the corruption charges against him.
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