South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Photo: GCIS / Flickr
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Photo: GCIS / Flickr
President Cyril Ramaphosa has finally weighed in on the chaos unfolding in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), with the Commander in Chief having bided his time to maximum effect over the course of a dramatic week dominated by events and protest related to the arrest of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma.
Violent protests are underway in KZN, with supporters of the former President – who was arrested earlier this week – leading the #FreeJacobZuma and #KZNShutdown movements in a bid to have Zuma released. Protestors have torched trucks near the N3 toll plaza, and major roads were closed while police arrested 27 people on Saturday.
Ramaphosa calls for calm in KZN
Ramaphosa has been silent on matters pertaining to the ongoing saga involving Zuma’s conviction and subsequent defiance of the Constitutional Court arrest order, and also declined to weigh in on Zuma’s High Court challenge or ultimate arrest on Wednesday night.
On Saturday, Ramaphosa finally spoke out about the unfolding drama.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on communities in KwaZulu-Natal to desist from undermining the rule of law and inflicting damage on the economy,” the Presidency said in a statement.
“President Ramaphosa says the impact of public violence against the road freight industry and damage to freeways that serve as economic arteries will be felt also by the people organising and committing these crimes.”
The Presidency added that Ramaphosa says that “the reasons allegedly advanced for the violence in KwaZulu-Natal cannot be used to legitimise vandalism and public violence”.
Protesters cannot abuse the law to threaten lives’
Presidential spokesperson Tyrone Seale said that while the Constitution protects the right to protest, this protest “cannot be abused to break the law or to destroy property and threaten livelihoods”.
“Criminal elements must be met with the full might of the law,” the Presidency insisted. “The President therefore commends the South African Police Service for their efforts to quell violence.”
Seale added that Ramaphosa endorses the call by KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala for calm in the province and for citizens to express themselves within the bounds of the law.
SAPS arrest 27 people involved in Zuma protests
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naiker said in a statement on Saturday afternoon that 27 suspects have been arrested since Friday.
“To this end, 27 suspects have been arrested since yesterday on various charges that include: public violence, business burglary, malicious damage to property, and contravention of the DMA lockdown regulations,” he said.
“This comes after an unconfirmed number of trucks were torched and looting of several businesses in the Mooi River CBD. Efforts are afoot to track and trace more suspects.”
