Soldiers and police were struggling to restore order in parts of South Africa on Tuesday, as police said the number of people killed in days of protests and looting rose to at least 72 in some of the worst violence the country has seen in years. Photo: Internet Source

Protests erupted last week as former South African President Jacob Zuma, 79, turned himself in to authorities to serve a 15-month jail term for contempt of court. He had refused to appear at an anti-corruption commission to face several allegations, including bribery and fraud, which he has repeatedly denied.

Among those killed in the violence were 10 who died in a stampede in the township of Soweto, Police Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba told CNN. More than 1,200 others have been arrested in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal -- where Zuma is from -- and Gauteng.

For almost a week now, protesters and looters have set malls ablaze and clashed with police, who have fired back with rubber bullets and are now so overwhelmed that the military has been brought in to back them up.

CNN on Tuesday visited Soweto, where shop owner Rahman, who did not provide his last name, said he is afraid he's lost everything.

"Even right now where I'm going to stay, what I'm going to eat, what I'm going to do -- we don't know nothing. Really, we lose everything," he told CNN.

"It's very painful, and I don't know what I can say about that. This is not our fault. I don't know what happened with the government. We don't know but this is not our fault. We didn't do nothing. We just lose like that."

Soldiers patrolled the streets of Johannesburg in armored personnel carriers Tuesday, holding rifles with live ammunition as the military worked to gain some sense of order following the violence.

South African Police Minister Bheki Cele vowed to curb the continuing violence that erupted over the weekend.