Ransacked shelves and discarded packaging were all that remained inside several shops near the port city of Durban Wednesday after looting during protests demanding that undocumented foreign nationals leave South Africa.
Several thousand people marched across the country Tuesday after a weeks-long campaign led by fringe groups for illegal immigrants to go home by 30 June that had already led thousands to flee.
Police were out in force for the protests, announcing Wednesday that most were peaceful but around 900 people were arrested, some for looting.
In Clermont outside Durban, looters stripped shops of food, appliances, building material and clothing following the demonstrations, the owners said.
Some estimated losses running into millions of rand, saying they were uncertain whether they would be able to reopen.
