Violence and looting escalate in South Africa, Zuma jailed | South African news

South Africa deployed soldiers on Monday the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma exploded to quell the violence, leaving at least six dead as a result of the riots of the day.

Police said the riots have escalated, with Zuma suing a 15-month prison sentence in the country’s top court.

The protests in Zumaia when he surrendered himself last week were occasionally looted and burned, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, but also in Gauteng, Johannesburg, the country’s main city.

Gauteng and some KwaZulu-Natal COVID-19 vaccination sites and clinics were closed due to safety concerns, the Gauteng provincial government and an independent pharmaceutical association said, delaying a slow vaccination campaign.

“What we are seeing now are opportunistic criminal acts because groups of people are pushing for chaos to cover up robbery and theft,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement on Monday evening.

He said 489 suspects from the two provinces had been arrested and all government agencies had been mobilized.

“We will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute those who commit such acts and ensure that they receive the full force of our law.”

He warned that the looting of shopping malls, pharmacies and supply chains could lead to a shortage of food and medicine in the coming weeks, as well as a vaccination against coronavirus.

The military statement said “pre-deployment processes have begun” after a government intelligence agency called for help.

Any confrontation with the soldiers will pose a risk to Zuma and his supporters, who are victims of politically motivated repression by his successor Ramaphosa.

Zuma, 79, was sentenced late last month for challenging a constitutional court order to provide evidence in a nine-year investigation into high-level corruption that he has been in charge of until 2018.

The decision to imprison him arose as a result of judicial proceedings seen as a test of post-apartheid South Africa’s ability to enforce the rule of law, as well as against powerful politicians.