Riots have erupted over the arrest of former South African president Zuma | South Africa Stories

Police have arrested 28 people on charges including public violence, theft and violation of COVID-19.

South African police have arrested 28 people and one of the country’s main roads have been closed due to violent protests against the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma.

Protests began this week in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) area of ​​Zuma’s hometown, after the former leader turned himself in to police for 15 months in jail for contempt of court.

On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected Zuma’s request for an adjournment of what he considered to be a criminal attempt in a brutal country.

Zuma’s arrest has uncovered major divisions in the African National Congress (ANC), with some factions remaining loyal to the former president and fiercely opposed to his successor, Cyril Ramaphosa.

KZN police spokesman Jay Naicker said the 28 arrests had taken place since Friday on charges including kidnapping, theft, damage to property, and violation of COVID-19.

He said protesters had set fire to other vehicles near the Mooi River, a town on the N3 highway from Durban to Johannesburg, and a shopping mall had been seized from Mooi River and Durban, a government that also includes Durban.

Law enforcement officials had been deployed to all the provinces in the province but no deaths or injuries have been reported so far, he added. The N3 was closed on the Mooi River early Saturday morning.

Ramaphosa, whose allies called for Zuma’s ouster in 2018, said in a statement that “terrorists must be brought to justice by the rule of law.”

Asked about the SABC’s television show, a spokesman for the Zuma charity said: “The public outrage is due to the injustice they see being perpetrated against President Zuma.”

Zuma has been given time to go to jail for refusing a rule from the Constitutional Court to testify in an investigation into high-profile corruption scandals during his nine-year rule.

He denies that there was widespread leadership under his leadership but refuses to participate in research that was established in his final weeks in office.

Zuma challenged his decision in court, mainly on the grounds of weakness and the risk of taking COVID-19. The issue will be heard Monday.

KZN President Sihle Zikalala said in a video message the provincial government understood the “outrage” of the protesters.

“We are experiencing … special developments in the fight against the arrest of the former president,” he said. “Unfortunately, violence and destruction often attack and affect even people who have not been involved.”