South African President Jacob Zuma on Monday (April 10) criticised marches last week that drew tens of thousands of protesters demanding his resignation, accusing some demonstrators of racism.
More than 60,000 people marched in South African cities on Friday (April 7) in largely peaceful protests to demand Zuma quit after a cabinet reshuffle set off the latest crisis of his presidency.
Speaking at a memorial to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the assassination of anti-apartheid and Communist Party leader Chris Hani, Zuma said South Africa had not yet built a non-racial society decades after white-minority rule ended in 1994.
In his first public response to the protests, Zuma said the protests demonstrated that racism is real.
