Terrified foreign nationals are being moved to a safe zone after mobs looted shops in #Grahamstown today Wednesday 21 October, as police bring in reinforcements to provide 24-hour coverage and warn of a zero tolerance approach to lawlessness in the city.
Terrified foreign nationals are being moved to a safe zone after mobs looted shops in #Grahamstown today Wednesday 21 October, as police bring in reinforcements to provide 24-hour coverage and warn of a zero tolerance approach to lawlessness in the city.
Police have arrested more than 80 people, including 11 juveniles, during an outburst of violence in which several foreign-owned businesses were looted in a spree that began shortly before midday. However, the shop owners are safe, police say.
Seventy-five shops were broken into and goods seized in Grahamstown as several groups continued to target foreign nationals in a wave of violence that has shocked locals and drawn a strong police response.
The looting followed, but was not part of, two separate protests in Grahamstown this morning: a march by Rhodes University students and staff as part of the National Day of Action campaign by students at tertiary institutions against fee increases; and a drive-through protest by taxi drivers in protest against poor roads in Grahamstown.
Unfounded allegations about a group of #Grahamstown business owners, based on crude rumour, were cited by opportunistic looters to cover their actions. Later in the day, a more elaborate version of the rumour was widely circulated.
The attacks began around 11.30am, as the taxi drivers left the city centre, when a large group on foot approached Beaufort Street along Bathurst Street.
An employee at one of the shops at the Crafters Corner complex was sitting outside one of the businesses, selling goods when the mob approached up Bathurst Street.
“Earlier this morning we were sitting outside and we saw protesters coming towards Bathurst Street,” said Nomfuneko Mdwayi, who works for Diamond Cash and Carry in Beaufort Street.
“There were swearing and saying that the foreigners must go.
“They came towards my stand and took my groceries that I’m selling,” Mdwayi said. “They took a four-plate stove, they took PVA, they took my money.
“They say the foreigners should leave Grahamstown,” she said.
“They were saying, ‘Makwerekwere hamba! Voertsek!” she said.
Businessman Osama Iqbal was the first victim of the looters. His shop, Osama Electronics, is in Crafters Corner.
“There were more than 20 of them,” he said. “hey forced their way into my shop. They took a TV, DVDs, carpets.”
He was powerless to do anything.
“I just stood there and watched,” he said. “I feel very bad.”
Babar Hayyat, brother of the owner of Diamond Cash and Carry Tariq Hayyat, said, “We were inside the shop when we heard [Mdwayi] screaming outside.
We quickly brought her inside and closed the shop.
“They started hitting on the door and the windows – they hit so hard that all the stock up against this window fell off the shelves.”
He said he and other business owners were very frightened.
“We have all closed our businesses,” he told Grocott’s Mail shortly after the incident.
“We are all just sitting outside waiting to see what happens next.”
Adam Chidothi and Sufan Mohamed were repairing the broken lock on the front door of an adjacent business.
“This is very bad,” Chidothi said.
Aurangzeb Al Quadri, who works at Diamond Cash and Carry, said, “You can see what is happening. We are scared – yes.”
Sahan Mohamed had a narrow escape, he believes.
He works at Sondela Cash and Carry in Victoria Road, opposite BB Zondani Hall in Fingo VIllage, and when he saw the mob approaching he locked up the shop and ran into town.
“They cut the locks, they broke the doors, they took everything,” said Mohamed, who spoke through an interpreter.
He was visibly shaken when Grocott’s Mail spoke to him less than 30 minutes after the incident.
Around 12.30pm, Grocott’s Mail went to the corner of Fitchatt Street, in Scott’s Farm, and Albert Street, where police backed up by a private security company were in a stand-off with a mob outside Fitchatt Store. The front security gate of the shop had been broken and police were waiting for the owner to come and remove his stock.
Burning tyres smoked in the road, and the reason why small groups of people were running back and forth soon became apparent when some began to use rocks and stones to build a barricade. Two participants in the action threw rocks at this reporter.
Police at the scene expressed shock at the sudden outbreak of attacks – most of which occurred in Joza.
At 3pm, social rights activist Sally Matthews, together with Unemployed People’s Movement member Ayanda Kota was in Extension 9, attempting to intervene in the mob action.
“They are emptying the shops,” Matthews said. “The police are taking away the shop owners, but police are letting people empty the shops.”
She said the looting wasn’t violent – “It’s just people in the area who’ve heard this is happening, and they’re just walking in and taking like, a loaf of bread,” she said.
“We’ve seen six shops already where this has happened,” she said. “Then the police come and the people run away.”
Grahamstown Crime Intelligence Officer Captain Milanda Coetzer said at 5pm today that foreigners were being moved to a safe zone provided by a local businessman.
“He offered to assist Makana Municipality [in housing the displaced foreign nationals]and Hi-Tec [security company]is assisting with security and transporting of foreigners,” Coetzer said.
Coetzer said earlier today that 75 spaza shops had been looted and 95 people arrested during today's mob actions.
She said the Public Order Police unit had been called in to protect lives and property, and police from East London were also assisting in providing 24-hour coverage.
"Local SAPS were mobilised since 12.25 this afternoon," Coetzer said this evening. She said they focused especially on the Joza area.
"Lots of property from the looted shops has been recovered."
Coetzer cautioned against the spreading of rumours.
"SAPS caution members of the Grahamstown community not to act on rumours and not to take the law into their own hands," Coetzer said.
At 7pm. police reported that sporadic incidents were still being reported.
Captain Mali Govender, Grahamstown SAPS spokesperson, said, this evening, "Police are closely monitoring the situation and maintaining high visibility."
Grahamstown Cluster Commander Brigadier Morgani Govender said today, "These acts of criminality will not be tolerated.
"We are adopting a zero tolerance approach on offenders who resort to any act of criminality. I am appealing to the community to refrain from engaging in any lawless activities as you will meet the full might of the law."
*Updated 11pm
