Shops were looted overnight and a section of the M2 highway was closed in Johannesburg as sporadic acts of violence following the jailing of former South African president Jacob Zuma spread to the country’s main economic hub.
The unrest had mainly been concentrated in Mr Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), where he started serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court on Wednesday night.
Mr Zuma’s sentencing and subsequent imprisonment have been seen as a test of the post-apartheid nation’s ability to enforce the law fairly — even against powerful politicians — 27 years after the African National Congress (ANC) ousted the white minority rulers to usher in democracy.
But his incarceration has angered Mr Zuma’s supporters and exposed rifts within the ANC.
Police said criminals were taking advantage of the anger to steal and cause damage. National intelligence body NatJOINTS warned that those inciting violence could face criminal charges.
NatJOINTS said in a statement that 62 people had been arrested in KZN and Gauteng, the province where Johannesburg is located, since the violence began.