117 dead, over 2,200 arrested in South Africa violence: Govt

dpa Johannesburg Some 117 people have died and many others have been injured in the violent unrest in parts of South Africa over the past week, according ...

dpa JohannesburgSome 117 people have died and many others have been injured in the violent unrest in parts of South Africa over the past week, according to government figures.More than 2,200 people have been arrested, Khumbuzo Ntshaveni, a minister in the president’s office, said on Thursday.Among them, she said, was a man alleged to be the instigator behind the wave of looting.The South African Defence Ministry has prepared to mobilise an additional 25,000 soldiers to help quell deadly riots amid fears of a rise in vigilantism.Chaos erupted across swathes of the country following the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma a week ago. The protests devolved into unchecked looting, arson and violence.Clean-up work began in many places on Thursday. Initial estimates are that the damage runs to hundreds of millions of rand, and affected around 20,000 jobs.Television images of a looted hardware store in Pietermaritzburg showed the recovery of several corpses, with witnesses speaking of at least seven further deaths.All available reservists will receive marching orders, the army said in a statement of its plans late Wednesday, which would mark one of the largest military operations in 27 years of South African democracy.The soldiers were to report to their units with all their equipment on Thursday.Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula informed parliament of the operation earlier in the day, South African broadcaster eNCA reported, but it has yet to be approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa.Some 5,000 soldiers have already been deployed to help police keep the peace in hard-hit areas.Police Minister Bheki Cele announced the discovery of tens of thousands of rounds of live ammunition in a suburb of Durban.“Some people are preparing for the war out there,” Cele said Wednesday night.“There are people that are arming themselves - whatever they are preparing for,” he told reporters, calling it “a dangerous situation.” House searches had begun in Gauteng province around Johannesburg as part of the operation to end the violence. “It’s going to be a very tough time in many houses, in many homes around SA,” Cele said.The port city of Durban and the surrounding province of KwaZulu-Natal have been particularly affected by the mob violence, prompting civilian vigilante groups to take the law into their own hands to protect their homes and businesses.In Durban, as well as the township of Alexandra near Johannesburg, long lines had formed Thursday outside the few stores and gas stations still open.The protests have inflamed racial tensions, with at least four Somalis killed in apparently xenophobic attacks in recent days.There were reports on Thursday of bloodshed in Phoenix, a suburb of Durban, after clashes erupted between Indian and black communities.As many as 15 people were killed, according to South African media reports, but authorities have yet to comment publicly.Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison, which he began serving last week.He faces a commission of inquiry into various corruption charges during his time in office, from 2009 to 2018, but had failed to comply with a court summons.