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Dozens arrested as violence surges in South Africa over Zuma jailing

Monday, 12 July 2021 9:20 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 12 July 2021 9:33 AM ]

Protesters set up barricades and burn tyres in Johannesburg on July 11, 2021. (Photo by AFP)

Dozens of people have been arrested in South Africa as violence, ignited by last week’s jailing of former President Jacob Zuma, spread to Johannesburg with protesters blocking roads and looting businesses in the nation’s economic hub.

African national intelligence body NatJOINTS said in a statement on Sunday they had arrested 37 people in KwaZulu-Natal and 25 in Johannesburg over the past two days following reports of looting and blocking of the roads.

The unrest had mainly been concentrated in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), where Zuma was sent to jail for contempt of court.

Police said criminals were taking advantage of the anger to steal and cause damage.

Several hundred people looted and burned stores in the Alexandra and Bramley neighborhoods of Johannesburg, according to a statement by police Major General Mathapelo Peters.

Several stores were also looted in the Durban suburb of Mariann Hill by "criminals and opportunistic individuals," a police spokesperson said.

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Police confirmed that a man was killed on the street, without disclosing further details.

In Jeppe, a suburb of Johannesburg, police dispersed a crowd of 300 people, who set up roadblocks on the main road before robbing businesses.

One officer was shot and hospitalized in Alexandra, one of the poorest townships, with police saying that they “remain on high alert” at major roads and at hotspots in both KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Shops remain shut in both provinces to avoid looting.

Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the violence on Sunday, urging people to express themselves "in peaceful protest" and avoid acts that endanger lives and damage efforts to rebuild the economy.

The protests seem to be tied in with a sense of economic desperation as the country faces tightened restrictions under a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.