WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2021) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is calling on the residents of South Africa to remain peaceful and the country's authorities to exercise restraint amid the unrest prompted by the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma, UNICEF Chief of Communication and Partnerships in South Africa Toby Fricker told Sputnik.
"UNICEF, as part of the UN in South Africa, urges all South Africans to remain peaceful in the midst of the current pandemic, to respect COVID-19 protocols, and to assist the government in facilitating the on-going vaccination roll out without interruptions," Fricker said. "The UN in South Africa also calls upon all law enforcement agents to exercise restraint and respect their human rights obligations including making full use of the UN Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement in their operations to maintain peace."
Fricker said the unrest will only exacerbate the existing social and economic hardships in South Africa, including joblessness, poverty and inequality as well the future of the children.
On Friday, protests erupted in South Africa following the news that the authorities have jailed Zuma. The first wave of unrest began in KwaZulu-Natal and have since spilled over to South Africa's economic capital of Johannesburg in Gauteng. The protests turned into riots complete with looting and acts of vandalism. On Monday, the government dispatched troops to quell the unrest.
Zuma, 79, turned himself in on July 7 to begin serving a 15-month sentence he was handed for contempt of court after skipping a corruption trial.
