South Africa: dozens of dead in violence after the imprisonment of Jacob Zuma

Published on : 07/13/2021 – 11:16

The toll of violence and looting that has hit South Africa for several days rose to 32 dead Tuesday, July 13, after the announcement of 22 additional deaths in the province of Kwazulu-Natal, in the east of the country.

The death toll in this province, where the violence began on Friday, rose to 26 dead, Sihle Zikalala announced at a press conference. We must add to this assessment the six deaths in the agglomeration of Johannesburg, confirmed Monday evening by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Sihle Zikalala notably mentioned the fact that several of these deaths had taken place during “jostling in this context of riots”, without specifying the location.

Blocked roads, looting

The first incidents, with roads blocked and trucks set on fire, took place on Friday, the day after former President Jacob Zuma was imprisoned in Zulu country, sentenced to prison for contempt of justice.

Violence, looting and fires then spread over the weekend to the metropolitan area of ​​Johannesburg, the economic capital of the country. They continued into the night from Monday to Tuesday, several AFP journalists found on the spot, especially in Soweto, a huge township west of Johannesburg.

With AFP