Shackling Duduzane sent wrong message at the wrong time

If you wanted to turn Duduzane Zuma into a martyr for “radical economic transformation” (as espoused by his father, ex-president Jacob Zuma), you could not have done it better than the police did yesterday when Zuma junior was finally brought before court.

When he appeared in court, he was shackled in leg irons.

The use of such severe forms of restraint should, according to standard police procedures, only be applied when there is a risk of the suspect making a dash for freedom, or when said accused has a history of violence. Duduzane handed himself over to the authorities, so why would he suddenly try to flee? And his occasional tetchy outbursts on Twitter are hardly proof of a murderous personal disposition.

Critics of the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa say he is pursuing a vendetta against Jacob Zuma and his family … and the treatment of Duduzane adds weight to those accusations.

Whoever shackled him was trying to make a statement. But it was the wrong one, at the wrong time.

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