South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the deployment of 10,000 soldiers to secure next week's local government elections, parliament announced Wednesday.

The military will help the police to ensure "a safe and secure environment" for Monday's polling to elect municipal councillors and mayors, National Assembly said in a statement.

The polls follow deadly riots and looting in July sparked by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma.

The unprecedented unrest overwhelmed the police, prompting the deployment of some 25,000 troops.

The latest deployment will start Saturday and last five days.

Police have reported eight deaths, mostly councillor candidates, since campaigning started, while voting day itself is expected to be peaceful.

But the July protests, started by diehard Zuma supporters before snowballing into violent unrest and the ransacking of businesses, exposed underlying social and economic conditions of ordinary South Africans.

The African National Congress-led government, which has ruled South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994, is fighting to regain its popularity since suffering its worst electoral setback during the last local polls in 2016.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Myanmar's Suu Kyi testifies for first time in junta court
Bangkok (AFP) Oct 26, 2021
Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi testified for the first time in a junta court on Tuesday, four months after being put on trial by the military, a source with knowledge of the case told AFP. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the February 1 coup, with nationwide protests and more than 1,100 people killed by security forces, according to a local monitoring group. Suu Kyi went on trial in June, four months after she was taken into custody, and faces a raft of charges that could see her jailed ... read more