Two suspected looters have been shot and killed in Langlaagte, south of Johannesburg, police said on Monday.
#Langlaagte Residents says foreign shop owner started shooting randomly. Spa za shop burnt to the ground. GN pic.twitter.com/y1q6mN7215
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 26, 2015
The pair was allegedly part of a group that went to a Somalian-owned shop with an intention to loot it on Sunday night, said Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale.
A building next to the spaza shop, which is an engineering firm, was set alight, said Makgale.
“During the commotion, shots were fired and the two males were killed,” he said.
Police presume the shots were fired by the group.
A case of arson and murder was being investigated.
Looting across several townships began last week following the shooting of 14-year-old Siphiwe Mahori.
The boy had allegedly been part of a group who set upon a shop kept by Somali national Senosi Yusuf last Monday. He was shot dead when Yusuf allegedly shot at the group.
Another 19-year-old youth was shot in Naledi on Wednesday and was declared dead on arrival at hospital.
On Friday, a baby was trampled to death when a crowd fled from a shop.
Makgale said police would continue monitoring the affected areas, and urged the public to report looting.
SPAZA SHOP TORCHED IN ALEXANDRA
A spaza shop was torched in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg in the early hours of Monday morning, Gauteng police said.
Police were called and informed that people were attempting to loot a foreign-owned shop in the area, said Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale.
“When police arrived, [the looters] fled and left the scene empty-handed,” said Makgale.
“Shortly thereafter, we were informed of a spaza shop that was set alight in another area of Alexandra.”
Police had since been deployed to the area.
OVER 90 EXPECTED IN COURT OVER LOOTING, VIOLENCE
Over 90 people, including children, are expected to appear in the Kagiso and Magistrate’s court on Monday on charges of public violence and being in possession of stolen property following a week of looting in suburbs across Soweto.
Police spokesman Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale said 178 people have been arrested in the violence, labelled by some as xenophobic, sparked by the shooting of 14-year-old Siphiwe Mahori last week.
Makgale said 83 people had already appeared in the Protea Magistrates court and there cases were remanded to January 28 and 29.
Six of those were children who were released to the custody of their parents.
Besides Mahori, a 19-year-old youth was shot in Naledi on Wednesday and was declared dead on arrival at hospital.
According to The Star Nhlanhla Monareng was killed when police fired into a crowd gathered at a Pakistani-owned shop. He was a bystander and reportedly friends with the Pakistanis.
The Star also reported that 74-year-old Malawian shopkeeper Dan Mokwena was attacked and killed as he slept in his shop in the early hours of Wednesday.
Makgale said police would keep monitoring the affected areas and asked the public to report any looting.
He also asked that shop owners not take the law into their own hands.
Deputy Minister in the Presidency Buti Manamela asked people to take responsibility for events of the past week.
“Crime is crime — you cannot justify it,” he said.
He condemned the looting, saying those leading it would turn against their neighbour once there were no foreigner-owned shops to loot.
“They will look next door and say ‘you are Venda therefore you must go to Venda’, or, ‘you are a Xhosa you must go to Pondoland’.”
A group called the Africa Diaspora Forum said the attacks were xenophobic and not simply “crime”.
Some reports have suggested that use of the drug Nyaope may also be a factor in the violence.
Source : SapaÂ
