What started as peaceful marches across South Africa quickly spiralled, with looting, shootings and mass arrests. Now, over 900 people are in custody.

South African police have arrested more than 900 people after nationwide anti migrant protests on Tuesday saw shops looted and violence flare in several cities, cbinews.tv has learned.

Deputy national police commissioner Tebello Mosikili said on Wednesday that of the 120 marches held across the country, 108 were peaceful. But 12 required police intervention, leading to arrests for immigration violations, public violence, harbouring undocumented migrants and robbery.

In a separate statement, police confirmed one person was shot dead late on Tuesday in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township. Residents there were looting informal corner shops, known as spaza shops, owned by foreign nationals.

Overnight, police reinforcements were sent to five of South Africa’s nine provinces. Soldiers were also deployed to Hillbrow in inner city Johannesburg, where two people were injured in a shooting.

In Durban, police have opened an inquest into the death of a foreign national who allegedly jumped from the eighth floor of a building on the eve of the protests. Officers believe he thought he was being targeted.

Tuesday’s marches were organised to mark a so called “deadline” set by an anti immigrant movement demanding that undocumented migrants leave South Africa.

The demonstrations come after months of unrest that have drawn international criticism. Foreign nationals have been forced from their homes, with businesses and property vandalised across the country.

cbinews.tv will continue to follow the situation as authorities respond to rising tensions over migration in South Africa.

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