(KM Seethi is the director of Inter-University Centre for Social Science Research and Extension. The article was first published in Eurasia Review on July 20, 2021)
- The events leading to the unrest started with the arrest of Mr. Zuma who was president of South Africa during 2009-2018. That was the period when alleged corruption escalated in government and the ruling African National Congress. After he stepped down, a government-mandated commission began investigating these corruption charges, but Mr. Zuma declined to testify, notwithstanding an order from South Africa’s Constitutional Court. On June 29, the court sentenced him to 15 months in prison for contempt of court, and he was later arrested. While Mr Zuma continued to deny wrongdoing, protests began against his arrest which turned into widespread violence and looting …