Gauteng leaders pointed to criminal motives and fake news as the catalyst for the violence and looting of shops last week.
Gauteng Police Commissioner Lt Gen Elias Mawela, Premier David Makhura, MEC of Education Panyaza Lesufi and Ekurhuleni executive mayor Clr Mzwandile Masina addressed the media on Thursday at the Germiston Civic Centre on the state of the province following the unrest and looting of shops in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
Mawela said the violent protests and looting held an element of criminal motives as malls became targets in Ekurhuleni.
“Shopping centres in Tsakane, KwaThema, Daveyton and Katlehong were targeted but due to increased deployment, the attempts to break in were prevented,” said Mawela.
The security cluster consisting of EMPD, SAPS and Gauteng Community Safety officers worked on a 72-hour stabilisation plan to ensure peace and stability.
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Twenty suspects were arrested in Germiston for possession of stolen property and 54 suspects were arrested in Tembisa for trying to invade a local shopping mall.
Mawela said 89 suspects were arrested in Ekurhuleni.
“Since the beginning of the protests, there have been a total of 423 arrests and seven fatalities.”
Dlamini commended Katlehong community members who chased away a group of looters on Wednesday night and prevented further looting.
“We are happy that law-abiding citizens have joined the police to restore law and order,” Dlamini said.
Protests initially started in the City of Tshwane and spread to the City of Johannesburg, then Ekurhuleni after a taxi driver was killed by a foreign national in Pretoria on August 24.
Makhura said the taxi industry leaders were engaged and are stable.
“Fake news created panic which unsettled the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni communities,” said Makhura.
One such case was the video of a metro police officer who urged parents to fetch children from school as foreign nationals were kidnapping children.
The GCN reported online that Klopper Park Primary parents were panicked and rushed to the school to fetch their children on Wednesday after viewing the video.
Lesufi publicly identified the video as fake news.
Masina said the metro police officer in the video was suspended.
“Gauteng leaders had to calm community groups who started mobilising to retaliate following the circulation of the message on social media,” said Makhura.
The premier urged community members to be cautious of fake news as some of the videos circulated last week were old.
Makura thanked law enforcement and political parties for working together to bring stability back to communities.
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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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