Police say they are investigating several cases following the violation of lockdown regulations at former president Jacob Zuma’s home in Nkandla, north of KwaZulu-Natal.
Scores of Zuma’s supporters gathered outside his home to offer him support following an urgent court application for a stay of execution of his arrest pending another application in the Constitutional Court.
Some shots were also fired during the gathering.
National police spokesperson Vish Naidoo says, “When we spoke about what was happening in Nkandla, we didn’t only speak about the contravention of the disaster management regulations. We spoke holistically about undermining the authority of the state, and that’s inclusive of people allegedly firing shots at that gathering. So there are various issues that we are looking at … we don’t anticipate or pre-empt when arrests are taking place.”
POPCRU on police’s handling of the situation
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) is adamant that officers in Nkandla handled last weekend’s volatile situation responsibly.
POPCRU spokesperson Richard Mamabolo says officers were provoked at some stage but did not retaliate.
“The situation could have escalated to an extent where certain people could have been injured or killed and that would have been blamed on police. It is quite important before the police could act they need to assess the situation and of course, I am aware the police intelligence were deployed at Nkandla so they found out that it would be risky to react.”
Unpacking events that unfolded in Nkandla:
Zuma court application
Meanwhile, the High Court in Pietermaritzburg is today expected to hear the former president’s urgent application for a stay of his arrest pending his application in the Constitutional Court next week.
Zuma has compared his 15-month jail term to a death sentence.
He made the comment during a media briefing at his home at Nkandla in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday night.
Zuma’s press briefing:
