KZN Violence Death Toll Rises To 26

The death toll from the riots in KwaZulu-Natal has risen to 26.

Premier Sihle Zikalala announced the news on Tuesday morning.

Most of these deaths are said to have occurred during a stampede.

Zikalala described this as a reminder of the country’s dark past.

“As a province, we’re going through a lot of pain and difficulty,” he said.

The premier said as of Monday night, 187 suspects have been arrested in the province.

“We must work hard to prevent our province from descending into the dark days of our violent past.”

Zikalala said the province estimates that the destruction to both public and private infrastructure will amount to no less than R1-billion.

The social cost of the unrest may be felt for years to come, according to the premier.