South Africa police and private have been able to confiscate weapons such as axes and saws from demonstrators as tensions escalate.
In Delville, Germiston, demonstrators were seen moving from door to door, evicting residents they believed were foreign nationals from their homes and handing them over to police officers, insisting they check documentation.
After some time, officers huddled and were overheard discussing plans to put an end to the harassment. They then told demonstrators they had 10 minutes to exit people’s homes and disperse.
The unrest has also enabled opportunistic crime. Daily Maverick has witnessed the arrest of a man who was allegedly pickpocketing cellphones during the demonstration.
Demonstrators and officers have since had exchanges, with the SAPS firing rubber bullets in an effort to maintain or disperse the large crowd.
This appears to be a repetitive cycle at the moment.
“We have experienced what appears to be opportunistic looting attempts in some areas – most notably Delft, Wesbank and Hanover Park. Services were on scene quickly and managed to shut down these acts – at last count, a dozen suspects have been arrested by SAPS and City agencies, on charges including public violence, theft and malicious damage to property,” said the City’s JP Smith on Tuesday evening.
Police have also detained some of the demonstrators for entering homes without permission, seeking backrooms let by homeowners for extra income and intimidating foreign nationals who live there.
Some demonstrators seen inciting violence have also been detained by the SAPS.
Neighbours of invaded homes said foreign nationals were not even given the chance to show demonstrators their paperwork to prove that they were legal immigrants before being attacked.
