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FILE | The remains of a burnt car and a sign block the road after stick-wielding protesters marched through the streets, as violence following the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma spread to the country’s main economic hub in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 11, 2021.
The trial of the alleged July 2021 unrest instigator, Bonginkosi Khanyile, is expected to commence in the Durban Regional Court today.
Khanyile, who is out on R5 000 bail, faces charges including incitement to commit public violence and contravention of the Disaster Management Act.
It is alleged that Khanyile incited violence when he called for former president Jacob Zuma to be released from jail after he started serving a sentence for contempt of court for failing to appear before the State Capture Commission.
The unrest began in KwaZulu-Natal and spread to parts of Gauteng, resulting in widespread looting and destruction of property running into billions of rands.
Findings of report into the unrest
Meanwhile, in a report published last year, the South African Human Rights Commission and the CRL Commission say the July 2021 unrest was racially driven between Black and Indian people.
They also say some opportunistic people used Zuma’s incarceration to incite violence.
CRL Commission Chairperson, Professor Luka Mosoma, unpacks details of the report in the video below:
