South African President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lootings-were-instigated-people-planned-and-coordinated-it-south-african-president-cyril-ramaphosa-398474">Cyril Ramaphosa</a> on Friday authorised the deployment of 25,000 Armed forces personnel as the death toll due to the violence in the country rose to 212.

According to the government, 180 people died in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province which was the epicentre of the violence. The unrest was triggered last week with the arrest of ex-president Jacob Zuma over corruption charges.

Zuma's home province of KwaZulu-Natal witnessed protests which spread to other cities descending into large scale looting of shops and business establishments.

Watch:

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President Cyril Ramaphosa said the looting was "planned" and instigated as police arrested one of the suspected instigators.

Ramaphosa said the authorities were "overwhelmed" by the situation. "The situation could have been much worse," the president said while backing the police.

The police said looting was still going on with Kawzulu-Natal's airport King Shaka International targeted by gangs. The situation in Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal is reportedly still unstable.

The government said KwaZulu-Natal province had reported additional 89 deaths over the past 24 hours with at least 2,550 people arrested.

The violence occurred as the country faces a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic with medical aid&nbsp;in short supply.&nbsp;

The South African president had earlier warned about supply chain disruption including fuel, food and medicine shortage even as World Health Organisation's Africa chief&nbsp;Matshidiso Moeti said there could be a surge in infections after days of rioting and looting.

(With inputs from Agencies)

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday authorised the deployment of 25,000 Armed forces personnel as the death toll due to the violence in the country rose to 212.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday authorised the deployment of 25,000 Armed forces personnel as the death toll due to the violence in the country rose to 212. According to the government, 180 people died in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province which was the epicentre of the violence. The unrest was triggered last week with the arrest of ex-president Jacob Zuma over corruption charges. Zuma's home province of KwaZulu-Natal witnessed protests which spread to other cities descending into large scale looting of shops and business establishments. Watch: President Cyril Ramaphosa said the looting was "planned" and instigated as police arrested one of the suspected instigators. Ramaphosa said the authorities were "overwhelmed" by the situation. "The situation could have been much worse," the president said while backing the police. The police said looting was still going on with Kawzulu-Natal's airport King Shaka International targeted by gangs. The situation in Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal is reportedly still unstable. The government said KwaZulu-Natal province had reported additional 89 deaths over the past 24 hours with at least 2,550 people arrested. The violence occurred as the country faces a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic with medical aid in short supply. The South African president had earlier warned about supply chain disruption including fuel, food and medicine shortage even as World Health Organisation's Africa chief Matshidiso Moeti said there could be a surge in infections after days of rioting and looting. (With inputs from Agencies)

Death toll in South Africa violence rises to 212; 25,000 defence personnel deployed

Stores and warehouses in South Africa were hit by looters Tuesday for a fifth day running despite the troops President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed to try to quell unrest that has claimed 72 lives.

As pillaging erupted in the economic capital of Johannesburg and the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa's main opposition accused radicals of stoking the unrest.

The armed forces were sending 2,500 soldiers to help the overwhelmed police.

But these numbers are dwarfed by the more than 70,000 troops deployed to enforce last year's coronavirus lockdown, and only a handful of soldiers were seen at some shopping centres. 
 
Watch | What is happening in South Africa and why? All you need to know

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/what-is-happening-in-south-africa-and-why-all-you-need-to-know-397857/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The raging unrest first erupted last Friday after former president Jacob Zuma started serving a 15-month term for contempt, having snubbed a probe into the corruption that stained his nine years in power.

By the weekend, it started spreading to Gauteng province.

"The total number of people who have lost their lives since the beginning of these protests ... has risen to 72," the police said in a statement late Tuesday.

Most of the deaths "relate to stampedes that occurred during incidents of looting of shops", it said.

Others were linked to shootings and explosions of bank ATMs.

The number of arrests has risen to 1,234, although many thousands have been involved in the ransacking sprees. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-gupta-brothers-from-india-landed-south-africas-ruling-party-in-its-biggest-crisis-397138">Also read | How Gupta brothers from India landed South Africa's ruling party in its biggest crisis</a>

Looting 'for my mum'

Earlier TV footage showed dozens of women, some wearing their dressing gowns, men and even children strolling into a butcher in Soweto, coming out balancing heavy boxes of frozen meat on their heads or shoulders.

Police showed up three hours later and fired rubber bullets. Soldiers eventually followed.

In Alexandra township north of Johannesburg, hundreds of people streamed in and out of a shopping mall, freely grabbing groceries.

Looters who spoke to AFP said they had got caught up in the rush, or saw the chance to ease a life blighted by poverty.

"I'm really not concerned about Zuma. He is a corrupt old man that deserves to be in jail," said a 30-year-old man who works at a car wash.

He admitted to "taking things from the shop for my mum" -- stainless-steel pots, meat and groceries.

In Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal's capital, people hauled boxed refrigerators through bushes to a long line of cars that were parked along a highway.

In Durban, aerial footage showed hundreds of people looting a large shopping centre and carting off huge boxes of goods.

A woman was seen throwing her baby from the first floor of a building to save her from fire after shops below her apartment were set on fire. The child safely landed with a group of people on the street.

'Anarchy'

In his nationwide address Monday night, Ramaphosa lashed "opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft".

"The path of violence, of looting and anarchy, leads only to more violence and devastation," Ramaphosa said.

The chair of the African Union Commission condemned "the surge of violence that has resulted in the deaths of civilians and appalling scenes of the looting", calling "for an urgent restoration of order".

The largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, announced Tuesday it would file criminal charges against Zuma's children and the leader of the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema.

In a statement, the party accused them of using "social media to express comments which appear to encourage and incite the violence and looting."

Once dubbed the "Teflon president", Zuma was handed the jail term on June 29 by the Constitutional Court for bucking an order to appear before a commission probing the graft that proliferated under his administration.

He started serving the term on Thursday after handing himself in to authorities.

He is seeking to have the ruling set aside.

Zuma popularity

Zuma, 79, is a former anti-apartheid fighter who spent 10 years in jail in the notorious Robben Island jail off Cape Town.

He rose in democratic South Africa to vice president and then president, before being ousted by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in 2018 as scandals proliferated.

But he remains popular among many poor South Africans, especially grassroots members of the ANC, who portray him as a defender of the disadvantaged.

South Africa is deep in an economic malaise, with cripplingly high levels of unemployment. Economic activity had already been badly affected by restrictions to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Stores and warehouses in South Africa were hit by looters Tuesday for a fifth day running despite the troops President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed to try to quell unrest that has claimed 72 lives.

Stores and warehouses in South Africa were hit by looters Tuesday for a fifth day running despite the troops President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed to try to quell unrest that has claimed 72 lives. As pillaging erupted in the economic capital of Johannesburg and the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa's main opposition accused radicals of stoking the unrest. The armed forces were sending 2,500 soldiers to help the overwhelmed police. But these numbers are dwarfed by the more than 70,000 troops deployed to enforce last year's coronavirus lockdown, and only a handful of soldiers were seen at some shopping centres. Watch | What is happening in South Africa and why? All you need to know The raging unrest first erupted last Friday after former president Jacob Zuma started serving a 15-month term for contempt, having snubbed a probe into the corruption that stained his nine years in power. By the weekend, it started spreading to Gauteng province. "The total number of people who have lost their lives since the beginning of these protests ... has risen to 72," the police said in a statement late Tuesday. Most of the deaths "relate to stampedes that occurred during incidents of looting of shops", it said. Others were linked to shootings and explosions of bank ATMs. The number of arrests has risen to 1,234, although many thousands have been involved in the ransacking sprees. Also read | How Gupta brothers from India landed South Africa's ruling party in its biggest crisis Looting 'for my mum' Earlier TV footage showed dozens of women, some wearing their dressing gowns, men and even children strolling into a butcher in Soweto, coming out balancing heavy boxes of frozen meat on their heads or shoulders. Police showed up three hours later and fired rubber bullets. Soldiers eventually followed. In Alexandra township north of Johannesburg, hundreds of people streamed in and out of a shopping mall, freely grabbing groceries. Looters who spoke to AFP said they had got caught up in the rush, or saw the chance to ease a life blighted by poverty. "I'm really not concerned about Zuma. He is a corrupt old man that deserves to be in jail," said a 30-year-old man who works at a car wash. He admitted to "taking things from the shop for my mum" -- stainless-steel pots, meat and groceries. In Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal's capital, people hauled boxed refrigerators through bushes to a long line of cars that were parked along a highway. In Durban, aerial footage showed hundreds of people looting a large shopping centre and carting off huge boxes of goods. A woman was seen throwing her baby from the first floor of a building to save her from fire after shops below her apartment were set on fire. The child safely landed with a group of people on the street. 'Anarchy' In his nationwide address Monday night, Ramaphosa lashed "opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft". "The path of violence, of looting and anarchy, leads only to more violence and devastation," Ramaphosa said. The chair of the African Union Commission condemned "the surge of violence that has resulted in the deaths of civilians and appalling scenes of the looting", calling "for an urgent restoration of order". The largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, announced Tuesday it would file criminal charges against Zuma's children and the leader of the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Julius Malema. In a statement, the party accused them of using "social media to express comments which appear to encourage and incite the violence and looting." Once dubbed the "Teflon president", Zuma was handed the jail term on June 29 by the Constitutional Court for bucking an order to appear before a commission probing the graft that proliferated under his administration. He started serving the term on Thursday after handing himself in to authorities. He is seeking to have the ruling set aside. Zuma popularity Zuma, 79, is a former anti-apartheid fighter who spent 10 years in jail in the notorious Robben Island jail off Cape Town. He rose in democratic South Africa to vice president and then president, before being ousted by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in 2018 as scandals proliferated. But he remains popular among many poor South Africans, especially grassroots members of the ANC, who portray him as a defender of the disadvantaged. South Africa is deep in an economic malaise, with cripplingly high levels of unemployment. Economic activity had already been badly affected by restrictions to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Death toll climbs to 72 in South Africa riots after former President Jacob Zuma jailed

Stores in two South African provinces were ransacked on Tuesday for a fifth consecutive day, hours after President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed troops in a bid to quell unrest that has claimed 45 lives.&nbsp;

The premier of Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg, said 10 bodies were found late Monday at a looted shopping centre in Soweto, on the city's outskirts.

"The police discovered in the evening that 10 people died during (a) stampede," provincial premier David Makhura told reporters.

The death toll for Gauteng stood at 19 deaths, he said.&nbsp;

Earlier, Sihle Zikalala, premier of the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, said 26 people there had died.

"These were people killed during stampedes as protesters ran riot," Zikalala said, without specifying locations.

TV footage showed dozens of women, some wearing their dressing gowns, men and even children strolled into a butcher's cold store in of Soweto, coming out balancing heavy boxes of frozen meat on their shoulders or heads.

A sole private security guard stood by helplessly, frantically trying to make calls.

Police showed up three hours later, and fired rubber bullets.

In Alexandra township north of Johannesburg, hundreds of people streamed in and out of a shopping mall, freely picking up groceries.

Other images showed a warehouse being looted in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal's capital.

People hauled boxed refrigerators through bushes to a long line of cars that were parked along a highway.

'Anarchy' 
At least 757 people have been arrested, Police Minister Bheki Cele told a news conference, with most of the arrests taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa's economic capital.

Sounding a note of optimism, he insisted the police would ensure the situation "does not deteriorate any further."

In his nationwide address Monday night, Ramaphosa lashed "opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft."

It was "of vital importance that we restore calm and stability to all parts of the country without delay," he said.

"The path of violence, of looting and anarchy, leads only to more violence and devastation," Ramaphosa said.&nbsp;

The unrest erupted last Friday after Zuma started serving a 15-month term for snubbing a probe into the corruption that stained his nine years in power.

Once dubbed the "Teflon president," Zuma was handed the jail term on June 29 by the Constitutional Court for bucking an order to appear before a commission probing the graft that proliferated under his nine years in power.

He started serving the jail term on Thursday after handing himself in to authorities as a deadline for surrender loomed.

He is seeking to have the ruling set aside.

The Constitutional Court sat for 10 hours on Monday hearing from Zuma's lawyers asking the court review its ruling. But the court reserved its judgement to a later, but unspecified date.

Zuma popularity 
Zuma, 79, is a former anti-apartheid fighter who spent 10 years in jail in the notorious Robben Island jail off Cape Town.

He rose in democratic South Africa to vice president and then president, before being ousted by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in 2018 as graft scandals proliferated.

But he remains popular among many poor South Africans, especially grassroots members of the ANC, who portray him as a defender of the disadvantaged.

Protests that began after Zuma started his sentence were swiftly followed by pillaging of shopping malls, with people carting away TV sets, furniture, alcohol, food and other items, with the police seemingly powerless to act. 
 
Ramaphosa took aim at those who said the unrest was political.

"There is no grievance, nor any political cause, that can justify the violence and destruction," he said.

South Africa, Africa's most industrialised country, is deep in an economic malaise, with cripplingly high levels of unemployment. Economic activity has been badly affected by restrictions to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Stores in two South African provinces were ransacked on Tuesday for a fifth consecutive day, hours after President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed troops in a bid to quell unrest that has claimed 45 lives.

Stores in two South African provinces were ransacked on Tuesday for a fifth consecutive day, hours after President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed troops in a bid to quell unrest that has claimed 45 lives. The premier of Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg, said 10 bodies were found late Monday at a looted shopping centre in Soweto, on the city's outskirts. "The police discovered in the evening that 10 people died during (a) stampede," provincial premier David Makhura told reporters. The death toll for Gauteng stood at 19 deaths, he said. Earlier, Sihle Zikalala, premier of the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, said 26 people there had died. "These were people killed during stampedes as protesters ran riot," Zikalala said, without specifying locations. TV footage showed dozens of women, some wearing their dressing gowns, men and even children strolled into a butcher's cold store in of Soweto, coming out balancing heavy boxes of frozen meat on their shoulders or heads. A sole private security guard stood by helplessly, frantically trying to make calls. Police showed up three hours later, and fired rubber bullets. In Alexandra township north of Johannesburg, hundreds of people streamed in and out of a shopping mall, freely picking up groceries. Other images showed a warehouse being looted in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal's capital. People hauled boxed refrigerators through bushes to a long line of cars that were parked along a highway. 'Anarchy' At least 757 people have been arrested, Police Minister Bheki Cele told a news conference, with most of the arrests taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa's economic capital. Sounding a note of optimism, he insisted the police would ensure the situation "does not deteriorate any further." In his nationwide address Monday night, Ramaphosa lashed "opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft." It was "of vital importance that we restore calm and stability to all parts of the country without delay," he said. "The path of violence, of looting and anarchy, leads only to more violence and devastation," Ramaphosa said. The unrest erupted last Friday after Zuma started serving a 15-month term for snubbing a probe into the corruption that stained his nine years in power. Once dubbed the "Teflon president," Zuma was handed the jail term on June 29 by the Constitutional Court for bucking an order to appear before a commission probing the graft that proliferated under his nine years in power. He started serving the jail term on Thursday after handing himself in to authorities as a deadline for surrender loomed. He is seeking to have the ruling set aside. The Constitutional Court sat for 10 hours on Monday hearing from Zuma's lawyers asking the court review its ruling. But the court reserved its judgement to a later, but unspecified date. Zuma popularity Zuma, 79, is a former anti-apartheid fighter who spent 10 years in jail in the notorious Robben Island jail off Cape Town. He rose in democratic South Africa to vice president and then president, before being ousted by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in 2018 as graft scandals proliferated. But he remains popular among many poor South Africans, especially grassroots members of the ANC, who portray him as a defender of the disadvantaged. Protests that began after Zuma started his sentence were swiftly followed by pillaging of shopping malls, with people carting away TV sets, furniture, alcohol, food and other items, with the police seemingly powerless to act. Ramaphosa took aim at those who said the unrest was political. "There is no grievance, nor any political cause, that can justify the violence and destruction," he said. South Africa, Africa's most industrialised country, is deep in an economic malaise, with cripplingly high levels of unemployment. Economic activity has been badly affected by restrictions to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Death toll in South Africa unrest climbs to 45 after Soweto looting stampede