Photo courtesy of Al Jazeera Media.
More than 72 people have died during a violent uprising in South Africa, according to Reuters.
The unrest began on July 7 in Johannesburg after former president Jacob Zuma was arrested for corruption. Zuma, 79, was convicted and given a 15-month sentence for contempt of court. He turned himself in on July 7.
The unrest is the worst violence seen in the region in years. According to the BBC, during a stampede at a mall in Soweto, ten people were
trampled to death.Al Jazeera reported that several people were also killed in stampedes in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal as people looted alcohol, clothes, food and electronics. Stores and shopping centers have also been destroyed. One woman was forced to drop her baby from a burning building to save her life.
The protests began shortly after Zuma’s arrest and gradually turned into looting and violent rioting. The unrest began at Zuma’s home in the KwaZulu-Natal province and eventually spread to Johannesburg. The violence also spread to Durban and the Gauteng province.
Officials claim that people are angry because of rampant poverty despite apartheid ending 27 years ago, but the Zuma foundation believes the protests are due to his imprisonment. Restrictions due to COVID-19 also contributed to the desperation of the people. Twenty-five thousand soldiers were deployed to assist the police stop the violence.
A spokesman for the Zuma foundation, Mzwanele Manyi, told Reuters that the violence could have been avoided.
“The violence could have been avoided. It started with the decision of the constitutional court to detain president Zuma … This is what gave anger to the people,” said Manyi.