Rioting has continued in parts of South Africa, in unrest sparked by the imprisonment last week of ex-President Jacob Zuma that has spiraled into days of looting in two of the country’s nine provinces.

South Africa’s police say 72 people have been killed and 1,234 have been arrested in waves of rioting that have hit the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.

A senior police officer says that many of the deaths were caused by chaotic stampedes as thousands of people stole food, electric appliances, liquor and clothing from stores.