‘Cops told us to loot’
Khadija Patel, Xolani Mbanjwa, Zinhle Mapumulo, Abram
Mashego and Sipho Masondo@City_Press25 January 2015 15:01
Two women make off with goods stolen from a
local spaza shop during the violence in Soweto this week. Picture: Leon
Sadiki/City Press
Foreign
shop owners and those who took part in, or witnessed, the looting of those
shops this week described how police actively stole goods and helped others
raid the shops during the worst attacks on foreigners South Africa has seen in
seven years.
An
estimated 120 foreign-owned or foreign-run shops were looted in Soweto and
nearby Kagiso this week. Foreigners have described how some police officers
told them to “go back to where you come from”, demanded bribes to do their
jobs and helped themselves to goods on the shelves, including airtime and
cooldrinks.
Widespread
reports of criminal and xenophobic behaviour by some police officers tasked
with stopping the looting in Soweto fly in the face of statements made by Gauteng
police commissioner Joel Mothiba and Community Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane
that what took place in Soweto during the course of the week was “criminal and
not xenophobic”.
While
looting was continuing in Soweto on Thursday, Mothiba told a press conference
that the situation was “under control”.
Yesterday,
10 young Soweto residents in different parts of the township, who admitted to
taking part in the looting, told City Press that the police had helped them do
it…….
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