The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) says it has beefed up its operational capacity in KwaZulu-Natal in response to the flouting of the level four lockdown regulations by former president Jacob Zuma’s supporters.
Hundreds of Zuma’s supporters are in Nkandla to show support for the embattled former president who faces 15 months in jail for violating a Constitutional Court order.
Some of them are without masks and there is also no social distancing.
[Earlier scenes] Police stopped the #Durban2Nkandla convoy not allowing the motorcade to proceed to former President Jacob Zuma’s homestead. Many supporters decided to park their cars and walk to his homestead. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/OlsXv9SEaC
— Jayed-Leigh Paulse (@JayedLeigh) July 4, 2021
The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure has described the scenes in Nkandla as incidents in which people are seen to be undermining the authority of the State.
“During the deployment, SAPS commanders and members on the ground have been provided clear and concise directives, that responses to any and all situations must be informed by proper analysis. To this end, every situation will be assessed and dealt with on it’s own merit,” says NatJOINTS spokesperson, Vish Naidoo, in a statement.
Supporters of former president Jacob Zuma block the N2 as they make their way to Nkandla to offer support. #sabcnews #Durban2Nkandla pic.twitter.com/buRGh360dm
— Jayed-Leigh Paulse (@JayedLeigh) July 4, 2021
He says criminal proceedings will be launched against security force members who respond violently to members of the public.
“People are reminded that the country is still under adjusted Alert Level 4 Lockdown, if we are to see a slow down in the spread of the virus, all citizens of the country are urged to strictly adhere to the Disaster Management Act Regulations and failure to do so, including any person organisng or being part of gatherings will also result in people being fined or jailed or both,” he says.
Zuma’s supporters pour in their numbers at Nkandla:
Earlier, various quarters in the country, including social media users and the National Freedom Party (NFP), raised concern over the non-adherence to COVID-19 regulations outside Zuma’s home.
This as the country continues to battle the third wave of COVID-19 infections. On Saturday, South Africa reached a new-record high with 26 485 daily coronavirus cases.
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