South Africa
Recovered looted goods 'to be used as evidence, then destroyed'─── 13:32 Wed, 21 Jul 2021
Government says all recovered stolen goods will only be used as evidence in criminal cases where suspects will be appearing in courts on charges of theft and looting.
Last week some residents went on a looting spree in both KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Briefing the media, acting Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, says police are conducting home searches for stolen goods.
She, however, says all recover goods will be destroyed as their resale will negatively affect the economy.
Looters urged to return stolen goods
Meanwhile, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure has called on looters to voluntarily hand in the goods they have taken to the nearest police station.
This as recovery operations continue following the widespread unrest and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last week.
The unrest and looting in these provinces followed protests outside the Estcourt Prison where former president Jacob Zuma was incarcerated.
In a statement, the police referred to the violence as a failed insurrection.
At least 212 people have died and over 2 000 others have been arrested.
National police spokesperson, Mathapelo Peters, says the value of the recovered stolen property is yet to be determined.
“Looters called upon to voluntarily surrender looted property or face possible arrest and criminal records as the integrated recovery operations continue. The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) has welcomed the influx of calls and tip-offs received via the MySAPS app from various communities in both KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, which have seen the integrated security forces recover volumes of suspected stolen property [of which the] value is yet to be determined.”
Peters also says people have been arrested for being in possession of stolen property.
“In Gauteng, during integrated operations at a number of hostels in mostly Tembisa, Johannesburg, Alexandra and Moroka over the weekend, 14 suspects were arrested for being in possession of suspected looted property. Amongst the goods recovered were bed mattresses, television sets, couches, fridges, sound systems, computer screens, laptops, steel frames, grocery and clothing items."
