July 2021 Unrest Instigator Sentenced to 12 Years Imprisonment, SA Relieved

• One of the people who was found guilty of igniting violence during the July 2021 unrest was sentenced to over 10 years in prison
• Mdumiseni Zuma reportedly encouraged people to loot the Brookside Mall in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal
• He was handed down a 12-year sentence for the role he played, and Mzansi was pleased with the outcome

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered police investigations and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

Mdumiseni Zuma, one of the instigators of the 2021 July Unrest, has been slapped with a 12-year sentence. Zuma was handed down the sentence after he called for the destruction of Brookside Mall in Pietermaritzburg, Kwa-Zulu Natal. Netizens felt he should have been slapped with a longer sentence for his part in the July 2021 unrest.

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July 2021 instigator sentenced

According to SABC News, Zuma's sentence was handed down at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrates Court on 29 November. He was found guilty of public violence and incitement to commit arson. It is believed that Zuma worked as a security guard when he recorded a video allegedly encouraging people to take part in looting shops. He claimed that his video was a prank and that he took the video after having a few drinks.

The July Unrest was a period of upheaval that resulted in hundreds of businesses and malls in Durban, Johannesburg, and other parts of the country being looted. The impact of the looting was devastating, as 354 lives were lost across the county, and the majority of SMMEs were hit the most. About R50 billion was allegedly lost as a result of the looting.

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Mzansi applaud the sentence

South Africans on Facebook celebrate the sentence and emphasise that nobody is above the law.

Ngwekazi Kalang Memela wrote;:

“He should have gotten the maximum sentence. But I’m glad he’ll be in prison for a long time.”

Marambo Viuctor Hlatshwayo added:

“Good example. No one is above the law. I’m sure he afforded good lawyers who mitigated the sentence.”

Peter Johnson remarked:

“It should be 30 years. And don’t forget to take your thriving namesake with you.”

Finish'n Klaar remarked:

“Why did it take them so long to sentence him? Let him go and grow his mind a bit.”

Woolworth's looter sentenced to 18 months

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Mbuso Moloi, one of the South Africans caught on video looting a Woolworths store during the 2021 July Unrest, was sentenced to house arrest.

Moloi was caught looting Woolworths and was slapped with an 18-month house arrest sentence for the role he played in looting businesses. South Africans were stunned that he was the only one facing the music for the looting.

Source: Briefly News