WATCH: ‘Foreign shop owner’ fights back against looters
In the footage, it seems a man has had enough of the looters and is seen hitting a man.
A looted foreign-owned shop is seen burning in the Johannesburg township of Alexandra on September 3, 2019 after South Africa’s financial capital was hit by a new wave of anti-foreigner violence. – The township was scene to a second night of urban rioting in Johannesburg, where hundreds of people marched through the streets on September 2 in an unusually large expression of anti-foreigner sentiment. Such violence breaks out sporadically in South Africa where many nationals blame immigrants for high unemployment, particularly in manual labour. (Photo by Michele Spatari / AFP)
An assumed shop owner has come to the rescue of a shop under siege from a swarm of looters. The man stepped in when a mob targeted a store on a looting spree. The incident, which is alleged to have happened in Witbank, shows looters fleeing from a store, some with appliances in hand.
In the footage, it seems a man had enough of the looters and decided to step in. He is seen hitting one of the men who came out of the store.
The footage was uploaded on Wednesday and shows a police officer outnumbered by the looters. The officer breaks up a fight between the alleged shop owner and looter. The woman taking the footage can be heard questioning who is responsible for the actions against foreign-owned shops.
Watch the video below:
Foreign owned store in eMalahleni (Witbank) CBD looted today. @SAPoliceService @MpumalangaGov pic.twitter.com/Bu4J4LxnjC
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) September 11, 2019
After a week of violence, Police Minister Bheki Cele scheduled an urgent imbizo with hostel dwellers on Sunday, September 8. But he had to cancel it because of the Reed Dance ceremony taking place in KwaZulu-Natal and other commitments he had to attend to.
Instead, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, as the traditional prime minister to Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, agreed to meet with hostel dwellers at Murray Park on Jules Street in Malvern, Johannesburg. Ndaba was at this meeting, greeting many of the izinduna (elders) from the various hostels.
Many of the men – angered by rising unemployment and inequality, and harbouring feelings of powerlessness arising from government officials ignoring their complaints – have been blamed for the violence and looting that spread across Gauteng.
(Compiled by Gopolang Moloko, background reporting from News24 Wire)
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