Protesters barricade a road in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a garbage bin painted with the word 'Zuma' on it on July 11, 2021. (YESHIEL PANCHIA / AP)
JOHANNESBURG – The death toll following a week of rolling violence and looting in South Africa has risen to 337, said Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni during her daily briefing on the issue on Thursday.
Ntshavheni said the number of deaths in Gauteng is 79 and in KwaZulu-Natal 258. The revision of deaths happened when those who were injured succumbed to their injuries.
"Of the reported deaths in Gauteng to date, 42 cases of murder have been opened and 37 inquest dockets have been opened. In KwaZulu-Natal, 171 cases of murder have been opened and 87 inquest dockets have been opened. The SAPS (South African Police Service) have to date opened 132 cases of arson in KwaZulu-Natal," she said.
Ntshavheni said the government considered the situation as stable since there had been no new incidents of looting or vandalism in either province in recent days.
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In the past week's unrest in the eastern provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, which was triggered by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma, thousands of businesses and infrastructures were looted and burned.
