A 36-year-old man, Mdumiseni Zuma, identified as one of the “instigators” of the riots that swept through South Africa in July 2021, resulting in over 350 deaths, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Zuma is the first person to be convicted of “inciting unrest” in connection with the prosecution launched after the country witnessed its worst wave of violence and looting since the end of apartheid.
The Pietermaritzburg court found Zuma guilty of incitement to violence based on a widely shared video in which he called for the looting and burning of a shopping mall during the riots.
