Angry members of the Umkhonto We Sizwe Military Veterans' Association have stormed the office of the mayor of Ekurhuleni, East Rand, demanding jobs they say were promised to them.
The police responded with rubber bullets and teargas, and made 66 confirmed arrests.
The police accused the protesters of looting and damaging council property.
The veterans say mayor Mondli Gungubele has failed to implement a promised demilitarisation programme intended to get veterans into secure jobs.
Mayoral spokesman Zweli Dlamini said the protesters had stolen fridges, smashed furniture and vandalised equipment, including new computers and computer printers.
"We view this protest as an act of criminality. We can't allow people to do as they please," he said.
"We are quantifying the damage but new equipment, as well as the office of the speaker of the council, were damaged.
"We issued a warning after a group of about 100 radicals stormed the political building at the Germiston Civic Centre and started vandalising and looting it this morning," Dlamini said.
Wanda Mothlakeng, a member of the MK association's committee in KwaThema, said veterans from the region were helpless and were tired of the mayor not keeping his promises.
"The municipality has been promising us jobs for 15 years now. This programme has been happening throughout the country but this municipality has not been able to implement it while other regions in the country have. it's been running well for years in other regions," he said.
Mothlakeng said the association's members would protest until President Jacob Zuma did something about the corruption in the municipality that was undermining the programme.
"We don't know what the municipality has done with the money [allocated], whether it's been spent or misused by the city .
"[Even if] they take us to jail, we want to be heard by the president.
"We want Gungubele to resign because there is nothing he can do to help," Mothlakeng said.
