The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. July 16, 2021 South Africa Sends 25,000 Troops into Street After Days of Protests and Unrest ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ South Africa's government says it has deployed 25,000 troops to protect businesses after crowds ransacked and burned retail shops and warehouses during several days of protests. It's one of the largest deployments of South African troops since the end of white rule under apartheid. The demonstrations erupted after former President Jacob Zuma began his 15-month jail sentence for refusing to testify in a corruption probe. They've since focused on grinding poverty and record levels of unemployment, exacerbated by the pandemic. .