A number of incidents of public violence and criminal activity have been reported in the Germiston area today (September 2).
In the first incident the Primrose police responded to a report of public unrest at 1.30am at Rainbow Restaurant on Rietfontein Road, Primrose where people had gathered and were burning tyres in the road.
“They forcefully broke into the restaurant and looted liquor and a TV set.
“No arrests were made and a public violence docket has been opened at the Primrose Police Station,” said Capt André de Jager, the spokesperson for Ekurhuleni District Zone Four.
In another incident later in the morning, the Public Order Police and Primrose SAPS were called to a protected wage strike at Waltons at Pencil Park.
“Police officers negotiated with the protest leaders as they had stopped traffic by burning tyres.
“They were told not to do this and reminded that they were only allowed to be at the entrance to the office park,” said de Jager.
“The protestors then walked to the gate and closed it stopping personnel from other companies entering the premises.
“Again the Public Order Police’s commander engaged with them but the protestors did not comply with their strike mandate.
“The Public Order Police then shot rubber bullets to disperse the protestors and three suspects, aged 57, 52 and 44, were arrested and detained for public violence.”
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De Jager added that another suspect was arrested on a charge of malicious damage to property in Rietfontein Road at about 10am.
The owner of City Fish and Chips called the Primrose police after the 28-year-old man walked into the shop and forcefully broke the fridge inside the shop.
“The suspect allegedly called other people to join him in looting the shop, but nobody joined him,” said de Jager.
“The police arrived, chased the suspect and arrested him.”
Investigations on the above cases are continuing and all the suspects are due to appear in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court soon.
In the Germiston CBD and in Dukathole, Const Maxwell Mabunda, the communications officer for the Germiston SAPS, told the GCN that a number of different groups looted shops owned by foreigners.
“They looted about seven shops and took groceries in Dukathole near the taxi rank and at Station Bazaar in the Germiston CBD,” Mabunda said.
“When they found the shop owners in their shops they would chase them away and take whatever they wanted from the shops.”
Mabunda said no injuries were reported and police have made nine arrests on charges of public violence.
Mabunda added that the police are experiencing a challenge in that shop owners do not want to open cases.
“Only Pep Stores opened a case of malicious damage to property where the looters damaged the doors, but did not make off with any goods,” Mabunda said.
Police are monitoring the situation.
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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za.
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