#TshwaneUnrest: Death toll Rises to 4 in South African Riots

Two more people were killed during a riot against South Africa’s ruling party in Pretoria overnight, a report said on Thursday.

The latest killings brought the death toll to at least four, after police confirmed two deaths on Tuesday.

The bodies were reportedly found near a shopping mall in the low-income neighbourhood of Mabopane.

Neither police nor officials could be reached for comment as at the time of this report.

The rioting was initially sparked by the governing African National Congress (ANC) party’s choice for mayoral candidate, who was criticised as not being familiar with local affairs because she came from another province.

Protesters torched dozens of buses and streets were littered with rubbish after containers were overturned.

The protests escalated into the looting of foreigner-owned shops in the area, Home Affairs Department spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete disclosed, saying “criminals” had taken advantage of the opportunity.

South Africa faced a wave of xenophobic violence against immigrants from other African countries in April 2015, when nine people were killed and thousands fled.

The violence was seen as a reflection of the divisions within the ANC before President Jacob Zuma faces a popularity test in local elections in August.

Zuma defeated impeachment proceedings in April in spite of the Constitutional Court ruling that he had violated the constitution.

It said that Zuma violated the constitution when not obeying a recommendation from the public protector to repay part of a sum of about 15 million dollars to upgrade his rural homestead in the town of Nkandla.

The 74-year-old president has also faced criticism over his decision to sack popular finance minister Nhlanhla Nene as well as over his alleged friendship with the controversial Gupta business family.

Photo Credit: Twitter – #TshwaneUnrest