Amnesty International South Africa (AISA) has condemned the looting and lawlessness seen amid pro-Zuma protests in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Trucks have also been torched.
The situation remains volatile as some of the former president’s supporters are mobilising ahead of Monday’s Constitutional Court hearing, where the former president will be asking the Apex Court to overturn his sentence.
AISA Executive Director Shenilla Mohamed has called for calm and restraint.
Mohamed says the looting and lawlessness goes against the right to protest and those responsible must be arrested and face the might of the law.
“While the Bill of Rights in the Constitution guarantees everyone’s right to protest, this has to be done peacefully. We are also calling for restraint by police in the use of non-lethal weapons to get these demonstrations under control,” says Mohamed.
AISA says it is concerned about reports that a person has been shot and killed in Gauteng. Mohamed has urged the police to investigate whether this is linked to the ongoing protests and bring perpetrators to book.
Read: @AmnestySAfrica condemns the looting and lawlessness seen during demonstrations in #KwaZulu-Natal and #Gauteng calling for former president Jacob Zuma to be released from prison.
Read press statement https://t.co/F4w6A9afsN
— @AmnestySAfrica (@AmnestySAfrica) July 11, 2021
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also slammed Zuma’s supporters who are engaging in criminal acts and said they will be arrested and prosecuted.
Amnesty International South Africa condemns riots:
ANC KZN talks tough
Meanwhile, the African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) says action will be taken against those members who have been involved in activities that have destabilised the province.
It says a report will be compiled to detail what has transpired in the past few days.
ANC KZN Spokesperson, Nhlakanipho Ntombela, says there are many members of the party who have been involved in these activities.
“The report we get will determine who are the individuals who might have done something wrong and what will be the way forward from there. We can’t pre-empt that report until we get that report with the detailed issues. Only then we’ll be able to determine as a province how do we navigate that situation as we move forward,” says Ntombela.
Aftermath at N3 toll plaza:
