'Staff fear for their lives' - private security groups taking strain in wave of unrest

While government's own Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster has scrambled to get to grips with waves of violence throughout the country, private security companies tasked with protecting commercial and residential properties say they are also under extreme pressure.

Acts of violence including the destruction of property and the looting of stores have been gaining momentum over the weekend after former president Jacob Zuma was placed under arrest and incarcerated in Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday.

Protests demanding the elder statesman's immediate release have morphed into riots that have been most intense in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Some have blamed it on crippling poverty and unemployment, while others point the finger squarely at opportunistic criminality.