Investigators believe the unrest earlier this month, which killed more than 200 and caused massive damage across the country, was deliberately provoked as part of a broader strategy by political opponents to force president Cyril Ramaphosa to pardon Zuma or even step down.
The worst violence since the end of the apartheid regime 27 years ago has injured many people beyond those killed and caused huge economic damage. Hundreds of shops have been looted, factories destroyed, warehouses razed, clinics vandalised and ports disabled.
The immediate trigger for the chaos was the imprisonment earlier this month of Zuma to serve a 15-month sentence for contempt of court. Loyalists and close aides of the former president, who faces a number of corruption charges, are among those suspected of organising the violence.
Last Friday, Ramaphosa said it was clear the unrest had been an attempt to provoke an insurrection. “The constitutional order of our country is under threat. These actions are intended to cripple the economy, cause social instability and severely weaken – or even dislodge – the democratic state,” said the president, who ousted Zuma in 2018.
This story is from the July 23, 2021 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 23, 2021 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Ours is an age of confusion. How should we navigate it? Timothy Garton Ash
In these times of planetary polycrisis, we try to get our bearings by looking to the past. Are we perhaps in The New Cold War, as Robin.
The world according to Jason
Covid vaccines, chemtrails, the Great Reset... Why do people invent false conspiracies when there are so many real ones to worry about? There's only one way to find out: George Monbiot asked a believer from his home town
From a small step for man to a giant gold rush for mankind
If the 20th-century space race was about political power, this century's will be about money. But for those who dream of sending humans back to the moon and possibly Mars, it's an exciting time to be alive whether it's presidents or billionaires paying the fare.
A bitter pill Inside the anti-doping movement's civil war
Furore over Chinese swimmers has sparked an ugly dispute between organisations that target athletes who use banned substances
Museum of Yoruba life is custommade for Lagos
Opposite the Nigerian National Museum in central Lagos, a swimming pool and a memorial hall once stood as an integral part of the city, a popular congregation point that evoked a sense of pride.
First steps for Nutbush Quest goes on for origin of line dance
For 50 years, Australian primary school students have been learning the steps to a dance that will carry them through social events and weddings and allow them to locate other Australians across crowded nightclubs anywhere in the world.
Press freedom How political attacks are rising globally
Political attacks on press freedom, including the detention of journalists, suppression of independent media outlets and widespread dissemination of misinformation, have significantly intensified in the past year, according to the annual World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Rio reporters risking all to shine light on the city's underworld
A brutal killing in 2018 has inspired journalists to probe the links between police, politicians and mafia
Is great ape tourism to blame for killing off chimps?
Viruses that only cause common colds in humans are devastating populations of chimpanzees and gorillas
Dig for disaster Calls to move to centre or right won't help Sunak out of this hole
As terrible council and mayoral results rolled in for the Conservatives last Friday, was there any part of Rishi Sunak that regretted sealing Boris Johnson's fate as prime minister by resigning as his chancellor less than two years ago?
