The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (POPCRU) believe that Thursday’s attack on police by foreign nationals was strategically planned and coordinated.
POPCRU says the attack was aimed at provoking and portraying police to be brutal and incompetent.
The union has commended its members for withdrawing from the volatile situation, which could have led to the loss of lives or injuries.
In a video that has since gone viral, two policemen can be seen fleeing the scene while being pelted with rocks.
Riots in the Joburg CBD. Foreign Nationals attacking police officials. Jeppe Str is closed off at Troye, Delvers & Von Wielligh. JoburgMPD deployed. Traffic is congested in the InnerCity due to vehicles being diverted. Avoid #JHBTraffic pic.twitter.com/S838lBseZz
— Gloria Mbomvu (@Maglotunka) August 1, 2019
POPCRU spokesperson Richard Mamabolo says, “We do believe it was quite planned in detail because part of what we can see is that there had been organised material which was used to throw at police. We can no longer continue like this, we feel like there should be urgent dialogue between the municipality and other areas to ensure that there is some form of cooperation. So the reaction through the videos as well was quite clear that this was orchestrated.”
Meanwhile, a foreign national has been killed at an informal settlement in Vosloorus, east of Johannesburg, after community members burnt down his tuck-shop while he was inside.
It’s understood that a large group of people went on the rampage in the early hours of this morning, looting foreign-owned shops in the area.
It’s still unclear at this stage whether any arrests have been made.
Ekhuruleni Emergency Services spokesperson William Ntladi says, “Round about 03:10 this morning in Embhelihle informal settlement just next to the old Natalspruit hospital, there were riots that took place whereby members of the public looted the foreign-owned shops. They managed to burn one of the tuck shops and subsequent to that one foreign national was inside and succumbed to the fire and the blaze.”
STATEMENT ON VIOLENT #JoburgCBD ATTACKS: The Justice, Crime Prevention (JCPS) Cluster, on behalf of government, condemns in the strongest terms the acts of violence and criminality in #JoburgCBD, after attacks on the police during a raid to seize counterfeit goods.
— SA Gov News (@SAgovnews) August 2, 2019
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