Gauteng Police are on high alert in Marlboro, north of Johannesburg, after some houses were set alight by disgruntled residents whose homes were demolished by the Red Ants on Friday morning.
About 80 structures which had been built few meters from the Marlboro Gautrain station were destroyed because authorities say they’ve been erected illegally.
Police have warned those behind the torching of houses in Marlboro that they will be found and face the full might of the law.
It’s understood the Red Ants were executing a court order.
Spokesperson Kay Makhubele says:”Police will continue being deployed in the area. It is just unfortunate when we move out of the area in the morning we heard that there are two houses that were set alight.
“We have opened a public violence case which we are investigating. And we are going to make sure we identify those responsible and they will be arrested.”
Several people have been left homeless after the Red Ants demolished illegal structures in Marlboro, ward 109 near the Gautrain station.
Firefighters extinguishing one of the houses that ware set alight by angry residents. Earlier today red ants demolished illegal structures that were erected in Marlboro, Alexandra #Alexdemolish #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/sJeGM3VJkc
— Ditaba Tsotetsi (@tsotetsiditaba) May 31, 2019
A substation supplying electricity to Marlboro residents is on fire by angry residents. Illegal structures were demolished by red ants earlier today. #Alexdemolish #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/e59SOMU2gy
— Ditaba Tsotetsi (@tsotetsiditaba) May 31, 2019
The situation remains tense in Alexandra and Marlboro, as angry residents face off with the police.
Earlier Friday evening an SABC News team was chased out of the area.
The Economic Freedom Fighters in Gauteng condemns the eviction, saying in a statement that it has reliably learnt that a rogue, long serving JMPD official who illegally instructed Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD) to remove EFF posters before elections in Johannesburg, is the same person who illegally instructed the Red Ants, SAPS and JMPD officers to arbitrarily demolish structures of poor Black people in Stjwetla today.
Johannesburg Metro police spokesperson, Senior Superintendent Wayne Minnaar is online to clarify the situation:
