KZN reports 89 more deaths from protests as toll rises to 212

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has recorded 89 more deaths from ongoing violent protests, with the national toll going up to 212.

This was revealed by Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni on Friday during a media briefing on the progress made by the government since the start of the protests.

The situation in KZN and Gauteng is gradually returning to normality, said Ntshavheni.

She said that both provinces did not report any acts of looting on Thursday night leading to Friday afternoon.

The incidences remained at 58, while reported cases stand at 1, 488.

89 more deaths deaths were reported in KZN, taking the cumulative number of deaths in the province to 180. Gauteng reported six more deaths, bringing the total number to 32.

862 arrests have since been effected in GP, while 1,692 suspects have been arrested in KZN.

Ntshavheni said that law enforcement agencies continue to closely monitor the situation in both provinces.

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South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members were still deployed to give support to the South African Police Services (SAPS) and metro police in Gauteng and all potential hot spots. She said the army had been deployed across the country to ensure that the protests do not escalate to other provinces.

“I must clarify that there are deployments across the country because we don’t want to find people who have been instigating the violence taking advantage of the other provinces,” explained Ntshavheni.