DUDUZANE Zuma, the son of former president Jacob Zuma, said he was meeting various communities in KwaZulu-Natal, to play a role in quelling the persistent violent unrest that has gripped the province.
DURBAN - DUDUZANE Zuma, the son of former president Jacob Zuma, said he was meeting various communities in KwaZulu-Natal, to play a role in quelling the persistent violent unrest that has gripped the province.
Speaking to Independent Media yesterday, Zuma said the protests, which started as a “free Zuma campaign turned into large-scale looting, driven by criminal elements”.
The violent protests started after Zuma handed himself over to the authorities at Estcourt prison last week, to start serving a 15-month jail sentence imposed by the Constitutional Court, for contempt of court.
Zuma has rejected claims he is one of the instigators of the violence that has seen the economies of KZN and Gauteng brought to their knees, through acts of looting and vandalism.
Responding to claims of instigating the violence, he said he did not have a social media account, and there were five Twitter accounts using the name Duduzane Zuma, and three were discontinued a few years ago.
“I do not form part of any social media platform. I am not on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Some people would do anything to make me look bad, and I have raised this a number of times,” he said.
He said he would be on the ground speaking to communities about the ongoing unrest.
“After this, I am meeting the Indian community, who feel they have been targeted through the violence that has been taking place. I want to see how I can assist in that process.”
He said that while the violence was regrettable, issues of poverty and inequality were fuelling crime, and should be addressed urgently.
“It is unfortunate that the protests have come to this point, but there are underlying issues that have not been dealt with.
“Unfortunately, we are not dealing with the issues facing us.
“Poor people are looking at us; they have been living in abject poverty for a long time. We cannot expect for this not to happen if we don’t deal with the challenges facing us,” said Zuma, adding it was wrong to claim that he was instigating violence for raising legitimate concerns.
“I have seen the suffering and poverty in our communities, and it is sad. We cannot have a wonderfully functioning economy if we don’t deal with poverty. How can you blame what is happening in the country on me?” he asked.
On his father’s imprisonment, he called for his immediate release from prison, saying “his right to a fair trial was violated and he should not be sitting in prison”.
“The first thing to do is to release my father; to deal with the unrest you first have to resolve this conundrum.”