South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa joins post-riot clean-up efforts and warns against vigilantism
- The country was gripped by more than a week of chaos that claimed more than 200 lives as looters ransacked shopping centres and groups blocked trade routes
- Ramaphosa is under pressure as only one of the suspected masterminds of what officials have called an attempted ‘insurrection’ has been arrested
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa joined post-riot clean-up efforts on Sunday as his government warned against vigilantism and sought to avert racial conflict following the unrest.
The country was gripped by more than a week of chaos that claimed more than 200 lives as looters ransacked shopping centres and unidentified groups torched key industrial infrastructure and blocked trade routes.
The violence was the worst in post-apartheid South Africa and erupted after former president Jacob Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail for snubbing a corruption inquiry.
His trial for corruption in a separate case is expected resume on Monday.
“We all admit there were lapses … we will gather ourselves and do a proper review,” Ramaphosa told a crowd outside a mall in the Soweto township.
