Malls Looted in South Africa Following Zuma’s Imprisonment

More than 200 shopping malls had been looted by mid-Monday afternoon and retailers had lost an estimated 2 billion rand ($137.27 million) in the wake of protests that erupted in South Africa following the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma, according to a report in South Africa’s Business Tech.

Newsweek reports that numerous Johannesburg shopping centres were targeted by looters in areas including Benmore, Jeppestown, Vosloorus and Soweto, while stores east of Johannesburg shut down as shopping areas in Alexandra were also looted. Videos posted online show protesters leaving stores with furniture, electronic appliances and television sets, while police fired rubber bullets.

Walmart owned Massmart Holdings have halted operations during the protests, Bloomberg reported.

As of Tuesday, Reuters estimates that 30 people have been killed and 500 people have been arrested since Zuma handed himself over to authorities last week. The former president was sentenced to 15 months in  jail last month by the Constitutional Court of South Africa after he failed to appear at a government-appointed commission investigating alleged corruption during his nine years in office.