South Africa govt plans troop surge to quell looting, arson and violence: Reports

Though triggered by Jacob Zuma`s imprisonment, the unrest reflects growing frustration at failures by the ruling African National Congress to address inequality decades after the end of white minority rule in 1994 ushered in democracy.

Durban: South Africa plans to deploy up to 25,000 soldiers in two provinces where security forces are struggling to quell days of looting, arson and violence, its defence minister told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, according to local news channel eNCA. A military surge of that size would increase tenfold the number of soldiers deployed in the hot spots of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces, where the police and army have been battling unrest for days. "We have now submitted a request for deployment of (about) 25,000 members," according to a video recording of Defence and Military Veterans` Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula shown on eNCA.