18 arrested following Soweto xenophobic looting spree

18 arrests have been made in Soweto in the past four days, following incidents of looting at shops.

The looting took place in Dobsonville, Meadowlands, Rockville, Naledi, Zola, Emdeni and other parts of Soweto on Wednesday evening, police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele confirmed. Foreign-owned shops were targeted in the looting spree, News24 reported.

On Friday, six suspects were arrested in Dobsonville and another in Protea Glen for public violence and the possession of stolen goods.

In addition to the arrests, police also police recovered one unlicensed firearm and goods believed to have been stolen during the looting.

The Sowetan reported that residents in White City claimed that the looting was a way of showing their anger at the attack on police officers in Johannesburg’s CBD two weeks ago.

Parts of the CBD spiralled into chaos after police conducted a raid on shops in Jeppe Street, which were allegedly selling fake goods.

Police have remained on high alert since the incidents, Makhubele added.

“The incidents of looting have been condemned by the management of police in Gauteng, while members of the public have also been cautioned to refrain from engaging in criminal activities as a form of protest as they will be identified and arrested,” he says.

In an unrelated incident, one person was arrested on Thursday when officers of the Soweto Flying Squad, Tracker, and the Johannesburg Metro Police spotted a stolen BMW and gave chase from Dobsonville to Meadowlands. The driver lost control and crashed into a house before he was arrested.

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