Looting of foreign-owned shops spreading all around Johannesburg

The looting of foreign-owned shops has now spread to the Johannesburg CBD. Police have been engaged in running battles with a group of people targeting shops in the Hillbrow area. This follows similar incidents in Tembisa, Turffontein, Jeppestown and Malvern earlier.

The situation is out of control in parts of Hillbrow and police are using teargas and firing rubber bullets to disperse a group of people who’ve been looting shops.

Some among the crowd have retaliated by throwing stones and other towards the police.

Several shops have now been closed and people are moving in different directions trying to evade the chaos. Some streets have now been blocked by a group of protesters with burning tyres following their clashes with the police.

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Meanwhile, an SABC News radio journalist has been attacked in Jeppestown, Johannesburg. This follows the rampant looting of foreign owned shops in the area.  An SABC vehicle has also been vandalised. The riots follow the deaths of three people in the CBD who died when the building they were living in caught fire.

Journalist, Sashin Naidoo says the situation is extremely volatile in Jeppestown.

“My car was stoned, the windows were bust; rocks were thrown at me and it’s really out of control. Police are, however, trying to do their best. I’m at the police station trying to lay a report. However, there are lines and lines. The situation is really volatile in the area. So, we are just trying to get assistance and then trying the EMS as well. They said that they are actually overwhelmed. So, it’s going to be taking some time for them to send ambulances to where we are,” says Naidoo.