At least 72 killed in South Africa unrest

At least 72 people have been killed in South Africa as riots are continuing across the country following the imprisonment of former South African President Jacob Zuma. According to local news reports, LG Electronics’ factory in the country was burnt down on Monday and many service centers of Samsung Electronics suffered damage.

At least 72 people have been killed and 1,234 have been arrested in riots in Jacob Zuma’s hometown of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces on Tuesday, The South African reported. Most of them are known to have been crushed to death in mass lootings at shopping centers and stores. More than 200 shopping malls had been looted as of Tuesday.

Damage of Korean companies is being reported. Samsung South Africa director Justin Hume told the TechCentral, local technology news website, that the company’s distribution center in Cato Ridge was attacked as well as a number of its service centers.

The unrest was sparked by the jailing of former President Zuma, who was given a 15-month jail term after the Constitutional Court concluded that he was guilty of contempt of court for defying a court order to comply with summons. The Wall Street Journal reported that South Africa’s severe economic crisis served as a trigger for the riots.

In South Africa, unemployment rate rose to 43 percent in the first quarter, including those who gave up looking for a job. In an April survey, about 10 million of the country’s 60 million population said they had gone hungry within the past seven days.


Hyun-Seok Lim lhs@donga.com