JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Thousands of South Africans demonstrated peacefully Friday in major cities against President Jacob Zuma, whose dismissal of the finance minister fueled concerns over government corruption and a struggling economy. Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu, 85 and ailing, made a rare public appearance to support the protests.

In Johannesburg, police fired rubber bullets to disperse about 100 ruling party members who were making their way toward protesters, the African News Agency reported. A few other confrontations were reported as police sought to keep groups of the president's supporters away from anti-Zuma rallies. ...