The same source confirmed that 26 people have so far died in this province of the country. Another six deaths in Johannesburg were confirmed on Monday night by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The regional ruler made particular mention of the fact that several of these deaths occurred during "riots in this context", without specifying the places where they took place.

The first incidents, with blocked roads and torched trucks, occurred on Friday, a day after the arrest in the country of former President Jacob Zuma, sentenced to 15 months in prison for disobeying justice.

The violence, looting and arson spread over the weekend in the metropolitan area of Johannesburg, the country's economic capital, and has not stopped in various parts of the country since.

The South African government last Thursday deployed armed forces personnel (SANDF) on the streets of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to help contain the violence, looting and intimidation that erupted in the country that day after Zuma's arrest.

The Portuguese government, on 13 July, advised the Portuguese community in South Africa to "strictly follow the recommendations of the South African authorities and to act with the greatest possible caution," and said it was following the situation in the country "closely.

"The Portuguese community is advised to strictly follow the recommendations of the South African authorities and to act with the greatest possible caution," the office of the Secretary of State for the Portuguese Communities, Berta Nunes, said in a statement sent to Lusa.

Emergency situations and the need for consular assistance "should be communicated at all times to the Consular Emergency Office or the consular posts", said the same source.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs guarantees to be following "very closely the situation in South Africa through the Portuguese Embassy in Pretoria and the consular structures in the country," stresses the note from Berta Nunes' office.