KZN premier Sihle Zikalala issues an apology, after caught on camera assaulting young man
By Mcebo Makhaye
Premier of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Sihle Zikalala has issued an apology after he was caught on camera assaulting an unidentified young man, on Wednesday.
Zikalala was visiting Riverhorse Valley, north of Durban, where hundreds of looters had been targeting warehouses, trucks, and businesses since Sunday, TimesLIVE reported.
In a video, which has since gone viral, Zikalala can be seen hitting an unidentified young man on the back, in which a man believed to attempts to loot. Shortly, the young man manages to run away.
Here’s the video of the incident:
However, in a statement released on Thursday morning, the KZN office of the premier said they have noted a video circulating and Zikalala would like to apologise for using level of “force”.
“The Premier apologises unequivocally about the incident,” the statement reads.
The office said although the premier’s actions was against the alleged looting, but the manner in which it was done is deeply “regretted”
“The Premier regrets the level of force used in apprehending a looter, who was attempting to make off with goods that had been stolen from a nearby warehouse,” the statement adds.
Read the full statement below:
Twitter users were not left out, as they flooded TL with messages of frustrations regarding the incident.
One tweep asked why the premier had taken the law into his hands while the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele has warned citizens against taking the law to their owns hands.
Another tweep said Zikalala has broken oath of his office in the full view of the nation.
Economic Freedom Fighters’ MP, Floyd Shivambu weighed in on the incident and said Zikalala must be held accountable for mob justice and vigilantism.
This comes after violent riots have engulfed throughout KZN and eventually spread to Gauteng, with shops being looted, vehicles being torched, and tyres being burned on the ground, Mcebo Makhaye reported.
Meanwhile, the Premier said that public violence has no place in society, and in the same spirit those who commit acts of destruction do not share in the values of our nation.
“We call upon all the people of KZN, to stand united in our diversity and begin our rebuilding programme,” the office concluded.
Compiled by Mcebo Makhaye.
