Police are cracking the whip on looters in the south of Durban with uMlazi SAPS leading the charge. The uMlazi SAPS members raided Mega Village Informal Settlements behind Mega City, which was looted during the unrest. Officers recovered a large number of goods suspected to have been looted prior to them moving on to search the notorious Glebelands Hostel, which is situated opposite the mall.
KwaZulu-Natal Police Spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbele, said two male suspects were arrested for Section 36 and detained at uMlazi Police Station. She also confirmed that uMlazi SAPS members raided Block 51 of the Glebelands Hostel to search for looted items. “The members found several appliances, clothing, baby products, alcohol, aluminium windows and doors. Residents took out looted items and threw them out of their rooms. The members also followed up on information that there were stolen tyres at Balu’s Tavern in uMlazi. Upon arrival, they recovered 15 Dunlop tyres and arrested one suspect for Section 36.” In KZN, the eThekwini District SAPS members together with the SANDF and Metro Police will continue to conduct clean-up operations at various areas to recover looted goods. Meanwhile, the integrated recovery operation by various police units has yielded the seizure of volumes of suspected stolen property in KZN and Gauteng while looters are urged to surrender the looted property or face criminal action. The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) co-chaired by the SANDF, SAPS and the SSA, has welcomed the influx of calls and tip-offs received via the MySAPS app from various communities in both KZN and Gauteng, which have seen the integrated security forces recover volumes of suspected stolen property whose value is yet to be determined.
Speaking on arrests in Gauteng and KZN, NatJOINTS Spokesperson, Colonel Brenda Muridili, said: “A total of 3 407 suspects had been arrested on various charges since the violence erupted over a week ago, with only one suspect granted bail, 1 122 expected to appear in different courts in the two most affected provinces, and the remaining dockets are under investigation.” In the concerted response by the NatJOINTS to the recent acts of unrest and opportunistic criminality, where tensions now appear to be simmering down, security forces have embarked on recovery operations with the collaboration of citizens who have gone out of their way giving tip-offs to the police, and some cleaning up their streets and business premises that were affected by the looting in the past week. “A warning has also been issued to those who were not part of the looting spree but are buying stolen property from the looters that they too, will be arrested for being in possession of stolen property,” said Muridili. In KZN, a number of suspects have been arrested over the last weekend for being in possession of stolen property.
“The NatJOINTS has at the same time also reiterated the call for people to refrain from inciting violence by creating and circulating inflammatory messages that seek to do nothing but elevate the levels of tension, confusion and fear amongst communities. These messages instill fear in our communities and undermine the authority of the state. The NatJOINTS through its Intelligence Coordinating Community (ICC) is also aware of more messages cropping up and circulating on various social media platforms, threatening to attack police stations and disarm law enforcement officers, attack courts of law and key infrastructure such as fuel pipelines and refineries; and more looting,” said Muridili. According to her, the NatJOINTS has subsequently mobilised maximum resources to address these threats and heighten visibility. Measures have also been put in place to ensure stability, and the protection and safety of those who are not involved in the unrest and wish to go on with their daily routine. Members of the public should continue to report criminality to the police, which may be done anonymously by calling the crime stop number 08600-10111 or via the MySAPS app that can be downloaded on any smartphone.
