Cele says police stepped back at Nkandla to avoid bloodbath
Police Minister Bheki Cele says there were dozens of armed people among the supporters of former president Jacob Zuma supporters at Nkandla.
"There were more than 100 coming from some hostels and coming from some areas in KZN armed," Cele said on Monday.
READ: Attacks on journalists at Nkandla 'breach of constitution' - SANEF
During the launch of the police's Covid-19 vaccination drive in Gauteng, Cele was asked why officers failed to disperse the crowd gathered outside the former president's homestead.
"They even tried to provoke the police by having those firearms used there shooting in the air and all that,” he said by way of explanation.
"There were many women, there were children and the police had to take a step back. At least we have to take and absorb the insults and those complaints as we are rather than jumping on the blood that would have been there."
Zuma was given until Sunday to hand himself over to police to start serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court after ignoring an order to testify at the State Capture Inquiry.
READ: Police beef up security forces in Nkandla after mass gatherings
That's on hold now after he filed two 11th hour applications with the Constitutional Court and the Pietermaritzburg High Court to try and stay out of jail.
