Premier Zikalala Cannot Take the Law Into His Own Hands

It is disheartening and embarrassing to note reports of Kwa-Zulu Natal’s (KZN) first citizen, Premier, Sihle Zikalala, assaulting a member of the public.

It is expected that the of Premier Zikalala to conduct himself in a manner that commiserate with his role. While all South Africans are deeply angered by the looting and violence which has taken place in KZN and Gauteng, we all must respect the rule of law and not give into acts of violence and vigilantism.

Zikalala cannot call for citizens to abide by the law whilst resorting to acts of vigilantism himself.

If Premier Zikalala truly wants to be impactful, he will call on President Cyril Ramaphosa to urgently declare a State of Emergency within the eThekwini Metropole in order to restore peace, law and order in the community and secure the safety of all residents.

To prevent any further harm to lives and livelihood, the President and his cabinet must ensure that our military and law enforcement agencies are fully empowered to re-establish law and order by:

1. Declaring a State of Emergency in eThekwini and ensuring the necessary support is provided to the city and the province;
2. Ensuring proper law enforcement operations are intelligence-driven;
3. Urgently establishing 24 Hours special Court to expeditiously process these cases; and
4. Monitoring social media for the incitement of violence and hate speech in order to hold those responsible accountable.

We continue our call to all sectors of society to exercise calm and respect for our rule of law. We equally call on all residents to not take the law into their own hands. Vigilantism will only serve to further undermine the rule of law. That said, Ramaphosa, his cabinet and law enforcement agencies must come to the party and safeguard residents.