Hundreds of supporters of former president Jacob Zuma are outside his home in Nkandla in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
They arrived in a procession, some on foot and others in a motorcade, bringing the road outside the Zuma home to a standstill.
Some carried placards with various messages, including pledges of support for Zuma. They are now camping in groups. Meanwhile, a few police vehicles arrived, seemingly on routine patrol.
Zuma has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for contempt of court. He has until Sunday to hand himself over and begin his sentence. Should he fail to do so, he is facing arrest.
Shots fired in the air by supporters
Earlier, shots were fired in the air from a group of angry supporters of Zuma, clad in ANC colours, making their way to his home in Nkandla.
ANC members among others at Nkandla:
They are part of a procession led by a group of Amabuto (Zulu regiments) and a motorcade that was blocking the road.
Members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association and Zuma family members have previously vowed to prevent the former president from being arrested.
A councillor from Durban, Sifiso Mngadi elaborates.
“They are using the system to persecute [former] president Zuma. And then we said they must arrest us first before they arrest him. The jails must be full of us and then he will be the last one to come to prison. If they wanted to kill him they must kill us. We have been quiet for too long. They have been misleading us about everything that Zuma did, and now we don’t want to hear anyone. We are going to take the law into our own hands.”
Report by Vusi Makhosini and Nonkululeko Hlophe
