At least one man died after parts of central Pietermaritzburg descended into chaos on Wednesday when violent clashes erupted in town and a fiery blockade brought traffic to a standstill.
The disruption started near Berg Street after an alleged criminal incident involving a taxi owner and a foreigner.
This escalated into a confrontation between groups of people and street vendors, many of whom are believed to be foreigners, on Church Street.
Police and fire emergency services were called after the clash turned violent and there were incidents of opportunistic looting.
The vice-chair of Pietermaritzburg Citizens on Patrol, Sanjeev Singh, said the exchange claimed one life.
“He was attacked and when he tried to seek refuge at a nearby bank he collapsed and died,” said Singh.
“A few shops have gone up in flames while some of the foreign vendors were also attacked,” said Singh.
