Mpumalanga police have arrested several people after shops were looted and burnt in Nkomazi. The suspects are facing charges including public violence, possession of stolen property and arson.
Members of the KaMhlushwa community reportedly looted and burnt shops at a local shopping complex, after a shop owner allegedly assaulted an employee who had to be taken to hospital. The employee is accused of stealing money from the shop.
A supermarket, hardware store and other building structures in the complex were reduced to ashes. Nearby shops were also vandalised.
Thembekile Shongwe runs a store near the shopping complex. She is one of several people who witnessed the incident.
“They assaulted him the whole day accusing him of stealing money and left him on the street. Police and an ambulance arrived in evening and took him to hospital. That’s why the community got angry and started looting. I was there until late.”
The shopping complex owners have distanced themselves from the incident.
General Manager of the Patel Group, Willis Guillame says the victim was assaulted by people who rent one of the shops.
“The only affiliation we have is that these Ethiopians are operating from the wholesale Patel building. We are not anywhere affiliated to what happened even though the burning of the building affected the Hardware. As you can see the hardware is currently closed. We are busy regrouping but we support the community in what happened. The community needs to know that the Patel group has always been a community-driven business.”
Police Spokesperson Leonard Hlathi says 10 people have been arrested. These include the business owner believed to have been involved in the assault.
Hlathi has warned the public against taking the law into their own hands.
“We have arrested several people and we charged them with public violence, possession of stolen items including arson. On the arson, it came forth that one of the business people set alight that shop that he hired. So, then we arrested him and charged him accordingly.”
Police are monitoring the situation in the area and investigations continue.
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