The flareup is described as post-apartheid South Africa's worst crisis

Unrest in South Africa has claimed 212 lives, the government said on Friday, a sharp jump from the 117 deaths announced the previous day.

Government minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told a news conference most of the new deaths had been recorded in the southeastern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, the epicenter of the violence, but said the situation was "gradually and firmly returning to normality".

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa alleged that deadly violence and looting that have shaken the country over the past week were planned.... Read More: i24