Police have accused people of taking advantage of the unrest [Source: EPA]
The unrest began as protests against Zuma’s jailing but has escalated and broadened.
Images from Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal, showed shops ransacked and businesses set on fire. In Johannesburg looters were seen taking televisions, microwave ovens and clothes.
“What we are witnessing now are opportunistic acts of criminality, with groups of people instigating chaos merely as a cover for looting and theft,” Mr Ramaphosa said.
“There is no grievance or political cause that can justify the violence and destruction that we have seen in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.”
On Sunday, protesters armed with sticks, golf clubs and branches were seen marching through Johannesburg’s central business district.
The violence has affected Covid vaccination drives, with some chemists saying vaccination sites had been “destroyed and looted,” AFP news agency reports. Some sites have been forced to close amid safety concerns.
