‘There could be mayhem’: Army out in case of Zuma’s death – report
· Citizen
A report has claimed a military deployment to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) may be a contingency in case former President Jacob Zuma dies.
84-year-old Zuma has been receiving treatment at the Netcare St Anne’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, since arriving by ambulance on Tuesday, with sources close to the MK party leader claiming his health has deteriorated significantly and remains at a “very concerning stage”.
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His party said it was a routine health check.
But his condition appears to be so concerning that an army deployment reportedly on its way to KZN to monitor anti-illegal immigrant protests is reported to also have been sent to deal with any potential violence that may follow Zuma’s death.
“There could be mayhem,” a source told News24 on Saturday.
The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has not confirmed this as a reason for the deployment, or commented on the claim as yet.
KZN-based radio station Gagasi FM reported on Saturday that Zuma remains “in a serious condition” and that a scheduled transfer to a military hospital was “once again halted due to his ill health”.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has said Zuma has “not been well” and the military’s surgeon-general “has been well briefed”.
“We wish President Zuma well. We wish him a very quick recovery, and we want him to be well and up and continuing to serve the people of South Africa in whichever way.”
‘This is most probably more serious’
Political analyst and North-West University professor André Duvenhage believes the implications of Zuma’s death could be profound on SA politics.
“We don’t know the seriousness of it, and we aren’t sure if it’s only a regular process,” Duvenhage said.
However, he noted that his assessment of the political environment suggests the situation may be more serious than publicly stated.
“My reading of the political environment, the body language of the situation, is telling me that this is most probably more serious.”
Unrest
The military deployment follows unrest across KZN and Gauteng in July 2021 after Zuma’s arrest for contempt of court.
Violence and looting spread, killing around 354 people. 5 500 people were arrested in connection with the unrest.
Additional reporting by Faizel Patel