South African security forces have arrested 1,754 people in connection with looting, arson and violence, a senior minister in the presidency’s office said, reported Al Jazeera

Thousands took to the streets that flared in poor areas of two provinces where a community radio station was ransacked and  COVID-19 vaccination centres were closed.

An Al Jazeera report said many people in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces died in stampedes as thousands of them rushed to steal food, electric appliances, liquor and clothing from stores.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said late on Monday that troops were being dispatched to assist the police to end the unrest and restore order.

Over 2,500 soldiers deployed to help the overwhelmed South African police force have so far failed to stop the rampant looting.

International media reported that the violence is an apparent manifestation of the generalised anger over inequality that has persisted for 27 years after the fall of apartheid.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic poverty has worsened in the country as the government imposed social and economic restrictions to block the spread of the disease.

Violence spread from Zuma's home in KwaZulu-Natal province to Gauteng province surrounding the country's biggest city Johannesburg, said an Al Jazeera  report.

The news organisation said that the broad scope and the wide extent of the uprising seen in a number of different cities is unexpected. The most striking point in the sudden protest is the multi-layered nature of the crisis, social and economic disparities, social exclusion that have continued since the time of apartheid in South Africa to the following years, marked by misrule, even during Jacob Zuma's presidency between 2009 to 2018.

Amid the rampant pillaging of shopping centres, malls and warehouses,the government was coordinating with the consumer council to ensure there are no food shortages, said the Al Jazeera report.