The death toll from the violence and looting that has engulfed South Africa for several days has increased to 45, with the premier of Kwazulu-Natal province announcing 22 more dead on Tuesday morning (KZN, East).
According to Sihle Zikalala, the death toll in the province where the violence erupted on Friday has grown to 26.
President Cyril Ramaphosa stated on Monday evening that six individuals had died in the Johannesburg metropolitan region.
On the fourth day of violence in South Africa, the army was called in to quell the unrest, which was sparked by the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma.
On Friday, violence erupted in Zulu country, where Mr. Zuma was born and imprisoned after being sentenced to 15 months in prison for contempt of court.
Since then, unrest has moved to Johannesburg’s poorer neighborhoods, where Mr. Zuma’s fate is essentially unimportant.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged citizens to think about the repercussions of their actions.
“Violence, looting, and anarchy are all paths that lead to further violence and catastrophe. It leads to increased poverty, unemployment, and the loss of innocent lives, in addition to misery. This is not who we are as South Africans, and it is not who we are.” President Ramaphosa stated the following.
“It is therefore critical that we restore calm and stability to all sections of the country as soon as possible,” he stated.
When Zuma handed himself in last week, there were scattered pro-Zuma protests, which quickly escalated into looting and burning. At least 500 suspects have been apprehended, according to police.
As a police spokesman described it, “criminals and opportunistic persons” are at work, targeting shopping malls and stores.
According to AFP correspondents on the ground, they steal large TVs, food, mattresses, refrigerators, and everything else they can get their hands on, even tripping over a brand new pink children’s bike or balancing a bathtub on their heads.
MORE:
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