KZN shutdown not linked to Zuma, say police as protests rock province

The South African Police Service (Saps) is monitoring the ongoing protests in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday morning but say there is no evidence they are linked to the arrest of Jacob Zuma.

Videos of a number of roads blocked by burning tyres in KZN have been making the rounds on social media.

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The protests are reportedly related to former president Jacob Zuma, who is serving his 15-month prison sentence at the Estcourt Correctional Centre.

However, police spokesperson Vish Naidoo told The Citizen there was no evidence that suggested links to Zuma at the moment.

“There are protests on the N2 between Sibiya and Umhlanga, but they are not related [to Zuma]. The police will monitoring the situation as time goes on,” he said.

Posters have been circulating on social media, one of which was shared by the former president’s daughter, Dudu Zuma-Sambudla, which says “Shutdown KZN” in support of Zuma.

Zuma-Sambula has also since shared videos of the protests in some parts of the province.

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Last week, there were mass protests against the Constitutional Court’s 15-month contempt of court jail sentence for Zuma, which has also led to disturbing calls for violence and even civil war.

The Pietermaritzburg High Court is expected to deliver its judgment on Friday at 11.30am on Zuma’s application to have his imprisonment stayed.

This is a developing story