South Africa descends into violence and chaos as looting, riots spread

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South Africa’s army has begun deploying 25,000 troops to assist police in quelling weeklong riots and violence sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.

In one of the largest deployments of soldiers since the end of white minority rule in 1994, the South African National Defence Force has also called up all of its reserve force of 12,000 troops. Trucks, armored personnel carriers and helicopters are being used to transport soldiers to trouble spots in the Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal province.

The violence erupted last week after Zuma began serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court. At least 117 people have been killed in the violence, authorities said Thursday.

In a show of strength, a convoy of more than a dozen armored personnel carriers brought soldiers into Gauteng province, South Africa's most populous, which includes the largest city, Johannesburg, and the capital, Pretoria.

Protests in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal quickly escalated into a spree of theft in township areas, although it has not spread to South Africa’s seven other provinces, where police are on alert.

More than 2,200 people have been arrested for theft and vandalism, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, acting minister in the presidency said Thursday. Many of those who died were trampled in chaotic stampedes when shops were being looted, according to police.