National
Over 90 expected in court over looting, violence─── 05:12 Mon, 26 Jan 2015
Kagiso - Over 90 people, including children, are expected to appear in the Kagiso Magistrate's court on Monday on charges of public violence and being in possession of stolen property following a week of looting in suburbs across Soweto.
Police spokesman Lt-Gen Solomon Makgale said 178 people have been arrested in the violence, labelled by some as xenophobic, sparked by the shooting of 14-year-old Siphiwe Mahori last week.
The boy had allegedly been part of a group who set upon a shop kept by Somali national Senosi Yusuf on Monday. He was shot dead when Yusuf allegedly shot at the group.
Yusuf would also appear in the Protea Magistrate's Court on Monday, on a charge of murder.
Makgale said 83 people had already appeared in the Protea Magistrates court and there cases were remanded to January 28 and 29.
Six of those were children who were released to the custody of their parents.
Besides Mahori, a 19-year-old youth was shot in Naledi on Wednesday and was declared dead on arrival at hospital.
According to The Star Nhlanhla Monareng was killed when police fired into a crowd gathered at a Pakistani-owned shop. He was a bystander and reportedly friends with the Pakistanis.
The Star also reported that 74-year-old Malawian shopkeeper Dan Mokwena was attacked and killed as he slept in his shop in the early hours of Wednesday.
A baby was also trampled to death when a crowd was running away on Friday.
Makgale said police would keep monitoring the affected areas and asked the public to report any looting.
He also asked that shop owners not take the law into their own hands.
Deputy Minister in the Presidency Buti Manamela asked people to take responsibility for events of the past week.
"Crime is crime -- you cannot justify it," he said.
He condemned the looting, saying those leading it would turn against their neighbour once there were no foreigner-owned shops to loot.
"They will look next door and say 'you are Venda therefore you must go to Venda', or, 'you are a Xhosa you must go to Pondoland'."
A group called the Africa Diaspora Forum said the attacks were xenophobic and not simply "crime".
Some reports have suggested that use of the drug Nyaope may also be a factor in the violence.
Sapa
The boy had allegedly been part of a group who set upon a shop kept by Somali national Senosi Yusuf on Monday. He was shot dead when Yusuf allegedly shot at the group.
Yusuf would also appear in the Protea Magistrate's Court on Monday, on a charge of murder.
Makgale said 83 people had already appeared in the Protea Magistrates court and there cases were remanded to January 28 and 29.
Six of those were children who were released to the custody of their parents.
Besides Mahori, a 19-year-old youth was shot in Naledi on Wednesday and was declared dead on arrival at hospital.
According to The Star Nhlanhla Monareng was killed when police fired into a crowd gathered at a Pakistani-owned shop. He was a bystander and reportedly friends with the Pakistanis.
The Star also reported that 74-year-old Malawian shopkeeper Dan Mokwena was attacked and killed as he slept in his shop in the early hours of Wednesday.
A baby was also trampled to death when a crowd was running away on Friday.
Makgale said police would keep monitoring the affected areas and asked the public to report any looting.
He also asked that shop owners not take the law into their own hands.
Deputy Minister in the Presidency Buti Manamela asked people to take responsibility for events of the past week.
"Crime is crime -- you cannot justify it," he said.
He condemned the looting, saying those leading it would turn against their neighbour once there were no foreigner-owned shops to loot.
"They will look next door and say 'you are Venda therefore you must go to Venda', or, 'you are a Xhosa you must go to Pondoland'."
A group called the Africa Diaspora Forum said the attacks were xenophobic and not simply "crime".
Some reports have suggested that use of the drug Nyaope may also be a factor in the violence.
Sapa
