Bheki Cele tells Parliament that 16 unrest instigators have been identified
Police Minister Bheki Cele has revealed that 16 suspects who are believed to be the instigators behind the rampant looting and violent unrest the country witnessed in July have been identified.
Briefing the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Wednesday, Cele said 16 alleged instigators had been identified.
“To date, a total of 16 instigators have been identified and arrested. [They] are going through the court processes,” he said.
[JUST IN] Police Minister Gen Bheki Cele tells the @ParliamentofRSA #NCOP that a total of 16 instigators have been identified and arrested for their alleged role in the July unrest by the @SAPoliceService and are going through the court processes.
— Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) August 25, 2021
Earlier this month, Cele said that more instigators – including “high-profile” people – were expected to be arrested.
“When it comes to the people [who were] regarded as instigators, the figure there has remained at 12 of the people, but that does not end there because there are many that have been identified and police are identifying more going forward. We believe that there will be people identified in high profile, where police are after them,” he said.
This is despite the government initially suggesting that 12 instigators were behind the “well-orchestrated economic sabotage”.
In July, parts of the country were plunged into chaos following the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma.
The violence took place in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng and left more than 300 people dead to date.
However, the looting, which was widely seen as an expression of anger and frustration by people living in poverty, was also worsened by the impact of Covid-19.
Organised attacks
It is alleged that instigators used WhatsApp and Telegram in order to carry out their planned attacks, according to Daily Maverick.
The publication cited senior ANC and security intelligence officials as their sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Screenshots of the messages – shared on Facebook – appear to show that the organized attacks targeted trucks, highways, and businesses.
TimesLive reported that the “Shutdown eThekwini” WhatsApp group was created only a day after Zuma was admitted to the Estcourt Correctional Centre in KwaZulu-Natal to start serving his 15-month jail sentence for contempt.
The group allegedly included ANC members and government officials.
-The Citizen
In other news – Black Coffee’s ex-wife Enhle Mbali dragged into DJ Zinhle’s pregnancy
Mzansi got excited after finding out that DJ Zinhle is pregnant and expecting her second child. The official announcement got people excited so much that they started dragging Black Coffee’s ex-wife Enhle Mbali.
Tweeps praised DJ Zinhle saying she does not embarrass the father of her child and does not make electricity demands. Enhle Mbali has made so many demands for her ex-husband DJ Black Coffee. Learn More
