The South African police said that they have arrested 62 people on Sunday in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng Province as people protested against the incarceration of former President Jacob Zuma.
Zuma started serving his 15 months jail for contempt of court from last Wednesday. People in his hometown KwaZulu-Natal started looting shops, burning trucks and blocking roads calling for his release, the Xinhua news agency reported.
The protests spread to Gauteng, where the economic centre Johannesburg and administrative capital city Pretoria located, on Saturday and Sunday.
In Johannesburg, many people chanting slogans in support of Zuma marched in Johannesburg city centre calling for Zuma's release. Shops closed and there was little movement in town.
"62 people have been arrested as the police continue to respond to opportunistic criminality emanating from violent protests over the weekend in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng province," said Spokesperson for the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) Col Brenda Muridili.
She stated that they arrested people who were looting businesses and barricading roads in Johannesburg's Jeppe and Alexandra townships.
Muridili said that in another instance about 800 people attacked police, resulting in the shooting of police officers who have now received medical attention in hospital.
Numerous photos and videos are doing the rounds on social media. People across the globe are praying for the safety of those in South Africa.
Here's what people are saying. Have a look.
With inputs from IANS.
