The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) looks set to be deployed to quell free Zuma protests.
Business Day has learnt the military command is meeting to discuss details of the operation.
While the SANDF would not divulge specifics, spokesperson Gen. Mafi Mgobozi did confirm that a request had been made by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) on Monday.
“We have received the request, we are processing it, that is all we can say for now,” Mgobozi said.
Natjoints is a body consisting of the SA Police Service (SAPS), National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Eskom, the National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee and metro police, among others.
Violent looting and unrest that were largely felt in KwaZulu-Natal after the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma, spread to other parts of the country on Sunday, including Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
The SANDF and police have a standing agreement on how they will work together. It details that the SAPS will take the lead and soldiers will act as reinforcement. While details about deployment and weapons are still being decided, strategic plans include similar arrangements to those seen during joint operations in gang hotspots in the Western Cape and xenophobic protests in Gauteng.
Protests began on Friday after the high court in Pietermaritzburg dismissed Zuma’s application to interdict his arrest pending the outcome of his rescission application at the Constitutional Court on Monday.
Zuma is now at the Estcourt Correctional Services Centre serving 15 months for refusing to testify on state capture under his stewardship as head of state.
Protesters calling for Zuma’s release looted shops, torched trucks and closed off entrances along KwaZulu-Natal's major highways.
Police have confirmed that they are monitoring parts of the Constitutional Court precinct in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, in light of flare-ups in the CBD on Sunday.
The violence rapidly spread to parts of Johannesburg, Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape on Sunday night after President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the violence and slated those who had organised and participated in the protests along ethnic lines and warned that law enforcement will arrest and prosecute those involved.
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