South Africa deployed the army in four provinces Friday after 21 trucks were set on fire over the past week.
There could be more unrest over a court decision that could send former president Jacob Zuma back to jail. Authorities have denied they are connected.
The deployment came a day after the Constitutional Court ruled that Zuma’s release on medical parole in 2021 was invalid.
The Department of Corrections has not said if it will order Zuma back to jail to serve his sentence. But his initial jailing two years ago sparked a week of violent protests that left more than 350 people dead.
Police said they had no evidence that the torching of trucks was connected to the 2021 unrest or Zuma. But the decision in Zuma’s court case clearly increased tensions.
The truck burnings appear to have started on Sunday, the second anniversary of the start of the 2021 protests.
South African media reported that Zuma was in Russia receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed illness.
Authorities haven’t established the motive for the truck attacks, nor if they are connected to each other.
But Police Minister Bheki Cele said there is a possibility that the truck burnings are economic sabotage against South Africa. He didn’t say who might be behind the campaign but police are hunting for 12 people linked to the attacks.
No matter the motive, the country’s law enforcement remains on high alert and is hard at work at preventing more attacks but also finding these individuals or gangs of thugs who are hell-bent on causing havoc on our roads.”
Bheki Cele, Police Minister
“These are organised and sophisticated operations,” Cele said in a statement released by the South African government’s official news agency.
Authorities haven’t reported any deaths or serious injuries related to the torching of trucks.
Trucks have previously been burned in South Africa as a form of protest against the government. The number of vehicles torched this week in the space of five days was unusually high.
The Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld a ruling that his early release from prison on medical parole was improper.
The court said the former leader should serve the remaining 13 months of his 15-month sentence.
With 2021 in mind, South Africa braced itself for more unrest, although there was no sign of problems early Friday.
The Department of Corrections hasn’t said if it will order Zuma back to jail after his appeal failed. It laso didn’t say if the time he spent on medical parole will count as him having served his sentence.
Zuma is also on trial in a major corruption case related to a 1990s arms deal.
Corruption allegations
Zuma was forced to resign as president in 2018 after a series of corruption allegations. But he has been seen as central in a political faction allegedly working to undermine his successor Cyril Ramaphosa.
On Friday, soldiers were deployed in the northern provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, the eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. The army would support police in their response to the truck attacks, the South African Department of Defence said.
Cele said that 21 trucks had been burned down since Sunday in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
“No matter the motive, the country’s law enforcement remains on high alert,” Cele said. “It is hard at work… finding these individuals or gangs who are hell-bent on causing havoc on our roads.”
While addressing the truck burning, Cele also said police continue to investigate the 2021 riots.
At least 67 people have been arrested for insurrection two years ago that happened in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.
Authorities believe the 2021 violence was orchestrated but haven’t said whom.
Cele said what transpired in July 2021 will not repeat itself.
“We have a capable state that has learned from the past. The security apparatus is working in unison and the security cluster is in a better state to respond.”
