KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala said that 26 people have been killed in riots in the province

“As a province, we're going through a lot of pain and difficulty. As of Monday night, 187 suspects have been arrested in the province,” Zikalala added.

Some Indian and White property owners resorted to firing to protect their shops from looting as chaos and looting are happening in many major cities of South Africa, local sources reported.

The riots and protests began in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng on the evening of Sunday.

The riots began as a protest following the arrest and detainment of former South African president, Jacob Zuma, who was arrested after defying to testify at the Zondo Commission, a state-backed inquiry probing allegations of corruption during his term as president from 2009 to 2018.

The riots began as protests by his supporters in KwaZulu-Natal before escalating to widespread looting and violence throughout KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Since the outbreak of the protests, at least 32 people have been killed and more than 500 arrested nationwide. (ILKHA)