In South Africa, rioting and looting rocked parts of the country again overnight.Police say more than 70 people have been killed and 1, 200 arrested since last week. Nick Schifrin reports.It started as political protests and devolved into chaos across two of South Africa's largest cities, of looting, ransacked shelves, and malls turned into smoldering buildings.Some looters admitted they stole, but said their crimes were born from poverty.I guess the real reason is because we have nothing. And when you see other people stealing, at some point, you realize that shops will close and you will be left with nothing.In response, police and soldiers fired into crowds, and tried to restore order.South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accuses looters of taking advantage of civil unrest.What we are witnessing now are opportunistic acts of criminality.The short-term spark was the imprisonment of former South African President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court.He's accused of fraud, racketeering, and money laundering.But the long-term embers are entrenched poverty and unemployment, nearly 30 years after the end of apartheid.It is the dehumanizing effect of the -- of inequality, and also the reality that South Africa just cannot continue the way in which we have been continuing.Ralph Mathekga is a political analyst and fellow at the University of Johannesburg.
