Violence in SA: Death Toll Climbs To 212

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday alleged that deadly violence and looting that have shaken the country over the past week were planned.

Unrest in South Africa has claimed 212 lives, the government said on Friday, a sharp jump from the 117 deaths announced the previous day.

Government minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told a news conference most of the new fatalities had occurred in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, the epicentre of the violence.

But, she said, the situation was “gradually and firmly returning to normality.”

Ntshavheni reported that 1,488 additional incidents were reported in KZN overnight, but did not give details.

The province also reported an additional 89 deaths over the past 24 hours.

More than 2,550 people have been arrested, Ntshavheni said.

There were no new incidents reported in Gauteng province which includes the financial capital Johannesburg, where 56 cases of violence or looting have been recorded since