ANC nkandla jacob zuma

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Nkandla: SAPS commended for acting with restraint amid Zuma protests

Popcru has commended SAPS for the extent of restraint outside Nkandla over the weekend, saying that they de-escalated a volatile situation.

ANC nkandla jacob zuma

Photo: Twitter

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) has commended the extent of restraint displayed by members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) outside the Nkandla homestead on Sunday 4 July 2021. 

PROTESTERS GATHER AT NKANDLA IN BREACH OF LOCKDOWN REGULATIONS

Scores of protesters gathered at Nkandla to defend former president Jacob Zuma as he faces 15 months in prison and could be arrested as early as Wednesday this week. We also learnt that more than 100 protesters were armed. This not only poses a threat in terms of violence but it comes at a time when the country is experiencing high COVID-19 infection rates. 

In other words, this could have been a potential “super-spreader” event. Acting Minister of Health, Mmamoloko Kubayi tweeted on Sunday;  “I shudder to think of the after-effects of Nkandla gathering with the current variant. After the Pretoria March, Court Protest in Joburg and Marches in Soweto we saw numbers surge to above 26 000 last night.” 

SAPS MEMBERS AVOIDED A ‘VIOLENT SCENE’  

Popcru said that despite the many explicit, provocative attempts displayed by some protesters, members of the service managed to de-escalate the potentially volatile situation which could have otherwise turned into a violent scene. 

“Hence we wish to dispel the unfair criticism levelled against the police’s purported inaction at the time. There are various intelligence resources and methods that are deployed in ensuring those who act outside the bounds of the law are held accountable,” it said in a statement. 

“We commend the leadership of the SAPS in the province, under the stewardship of the Provincial Commissioner Mkhwanazi, for having taken the approach they did in de-escalating and neutralising the potential conflict as it had been clear that lockdown regulations had been flouted,” it added. 

Popcru has urged all South Africans to follow the lockdown regulations as they are aimed at saving lives, and not to suppress people’s individual expressions.

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