By Tyler Durden
6 people are dead, and 219 have been arrestedĀ after violent protests have erupted across South Africa following theĀ jailing of former President Jacob Zuma.
JUST IN – Armed citizens fire on rioters in Durban, South Africa. pic.twitter.com/2CqNacAnz2
— Disclose.tv ? (@disclosetv) July 12, 2021
Last week, Acting Chief Justice Sisi Khampepe issued a forceful ruling, ordering a prison term because it would be “the only appropriate sanction”Ā after Zuma repeatedly refused to appear when summoned for hearings at South Africa’s Constitutional Court. The court was responsible for overseeing an investigation into corruption headed by Raymond Zondo, South Africa’s deputy chief justice, according to theĀ BBC.
“I am left with no option but to commit Mr Zuma to imprisonment,Ā with the hope that doing so sends an unequivocal message… the rule of law and the administration of justice prevails.”
Protests and looting which started Thursday in KwaZulu-Natal and spread to Johannesburg on Saturday continued early Monday with major malls and shopping centers being ransacked.
JUST IN – Every single store in the Jabulani Mall near Johannesburg has been looted. Reports and videos of riots at more malls in parts of South Africa.pic.twitter.com/t5DL96EVIM
— Disclose.tv ? (@disclosetv) July 12, 2021
Zuma, 79, started serving a prison sentence for contempt of court in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday night, and ensuing protests had so far largely been restricted to the coastal province.
All of which was described – in a CNN-esque ‘mostly peaceful’ mockery of narrative over fact – by Zuma’s foundation as:
āreactive righteous angerĀ of the people.. which others haveĀ characterized as violence.ā
It appears “righteous” and “violence” may mean something different in South Africa as on Monday morning,Ā police officers were seen in running battles with looters in Soweto township and Eldorado, south of Johannesburg.
Protesters were seen fleeing with stolen goods, including electronics, food items, and even mattresses.Ā Some protesters were seen hurling stones at the police, who responded with rubber bullets and stun grenades.
“While there are those who may be hurt and angry at this moment, there can never be any justification for such violent, destructive and disruptive actions,ā President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday.
The reaction in markets was most pronounced in the Rand…
Source: Bloomberg
Which pushed down to a critical support level against the US Dollar…
Source: Bloomberg
South Africa has now deployed troops to help the countryās embattled police force.
The deployment will āprovide safety and a safe working environment for members of the [police] and other law enforcement agencies whilst they carry out their constitutionally mandated law and order dutiesā, South Africaās defense forces said in a statement on Monday.
Since Zuma was forced to step down in 2018 as a corruption scandal intensified,Ā the investigation has become a symbol of his successor Cyril Ramaphosa’s efforts to clean up the federal government.
