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South African riots: President Cyril Ramaphosa calls for calm amid riots and incarceration of Jacob Zuma

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VideoSouth Africa deployed the military as violent protests spread to the capital after former President Jacob Zuma was jailed for contempt of court

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has pleaded for calm following days of brutal protests that have claimed 10 lives — triggered by last week’s incarceration of his predecessor.

“This is not who we are as South Africans, this is not us. Time and time again we have chosen a different path, of peace, engagement and democracy,” Mr Ramaphosa said in his second televised address in two days.

“What we are witnessing now are opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft.”

The riots began in the southeastern KwaZulu-Natal province, former President Jacob Zuma’s home base, and spread to the nation’s economic hub of Gauteng over the weekend, disrupting commerce and transport networks.

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In Johannesburg, looters were taken down by police officers as thieves targetted shopping centres.

Former South African President Jacob Zuma handed himself in on July 7 to being serving his prison sentence for defying a court order to testify at an inquiry.
Camera IconFormer South African President Jacob Zuma handed himself in on July 7 to being serving his prison sentence for defying a court order to testify at an inquiry. Credit: Michele SpatariI/AP

Authorities arrested 489 people and sought to disperse hundreds of protesters who targeted stores across the two regions.

A key trade route in KwaZulu-Natal was shut after trucks were torched on Friday night sparking looting, spot fires and stores being shot out.

Standard Bank Group Ltd, Africa’s biggest lender, closed its branches in protest-hit areas and retailers were forced to shut outlets.

A woman wearing a face mask walks past a damaged KFC fast food restaurant at Naledi shopping complex in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg.
Camera IconA woman wearing a face mask walks past a damaged KFC fast food restaurant at Naledi shopping complex in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg. Credit: Themba Hadebe/AP

The government said the army will be deployed to help the police quell the unrest, among the worst the nation has seen since the end of white-minority rule in 1994.

The protests began after Mr Zuma handed himself in on July 7 to begin serving a 15-month sentence for defying a court order to testify at an inquiry. He denies wrongdoing.

“We will be prioritising the prosecution of suspects alleged to be involved in this violence,” Ramaphosa said.

People pushing a shopping trolley carrying groceries looted from a nearby shop walk out of the Naledi shopping complex in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg.
Camera IconPeople pushing a shopping trolley carrying groceries looted from a nearby shop walk out of the Naledi shopping complex in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg. Credit: Themba Hadebe/AP

“We will take action to protect every person in this country against the threat of violence, intimidation, threats and looting.

“There is no grievance or political cause that can justify the violence we have seen in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.”

The president warned that the unrest could threaten food security and was disrupting efforts to inoculate people against the coronavirus.

Police stand over arrested suspect looters in a shopping centre in Alexandra township, Johannesburg.
Camera IconPolice stand over arrested suspect looters in a shopping centre in Alexandra township, Johannesburg. Credit: Yeshiel Panchia/AP

The tumult coincided with the extension of a lockdown that’s hurting businesses and robbed many people of their livelihoods in a nation with a 32.6 per cent unemployment rate.

The Constitutional Court on Monday heard Mr Zuma’s application to have his conviction and sentencing reviewed. It reserved its judgment.

The 79-year-old, who served as president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018, was sentenced to a 15-month jail term for contempt of court.

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