…while victims accuse cops of inaction
By Molefi Sompane
THABA NCHU – Police have recovered looted goods worth hundreds of thousands of rands and have arrested over 100 people suspected of raiding foreign-owned shops in Thaba Nchu and Botshabelo following a two-week pillaging orgy in the precinct.
Convoys of law enforcement agents have descended on the dormitory towns to quell the raids, pursue looters and protect migrant businessmen now sequestered under heavy guard at police stations and make shift shelters.
Although the actual value of looted property could not be ascertained, unofficial estimates put the figure at several million rand.
While politicians have been careful not to label the attacks xenophobic, witnesses say the bulk of the victims were immigrants, mainly of East African stock.
However, some South African businessmen of Asian extraction were also caught up in the raids that have attracted condemnation from both government and civil society and left at least two people dead.
Bands of people, including children as young as seven, joined in the attacks which started on the evening of Sunday, July 1 at Zone 1 in Thaba Nchu and had spread to other townships the next morning.
A businesswoman from Philippines who owns a clothing firm in Unit One said she lost goods and property amounting to R2.5 million.
“They burned the factory, stealing 18 sewing machines, Jewelleries and amount of money. I was held hostage, however, I am happy to be alive,” said the businesswoman who asked not to be named.
Local police stations were still littered with cupboards, wardrobes and couches which were confiscated and taken there for identification by owners.
Shop owner, Rebuil Islam lost over R70 000 in damages, and said he was disappointed the police did not stop the looters.
“I lost about R70 000 to the looters and the helpless police officials had just come to allow people to take our things,” Islam said.
“I am still disappointed in our government. Police did nothing to help us – they also took our stuff, saying we must only take important things,” he added.
MEC for Police in the province Butana Khompela said local police had to enlist services from Bloemfontein and Welkom’s Tactical Response Teams (TRT) to calm the situation. The central business district in Thaba Nchu was closed early this week as the lootings spread to town.
“Those responsible will answer for their actions. Their cases will be heard after a week or two because all the police are keeping guard against further attacks,” Khompela said.
He also said the police were going house-to-house to recover the items, and were also helped by residents who pointed out culprits. However, Khompela denied that the attacks were fuelled by xenophobia, but they were criminal activities.
Police spokesperson Tseko Mokhatle confirmed the police action.
“We are confisticating all the things taken from identified suspects. However, some of them we picked up on the streets were they had been abandoned,” he said.
Islam suffered the looting despite his marriage to a South African woman.
His wife said: “I hate the fact that I am a South African. I am still haunted by the screams and shouting of the looters. I want to go somewhere else – this has taught me that people are cruel, they were even insulting me that I am an opportunist who is married to a foreigner.
“I don’t know how I must keep living among the community that does not appreciate us. My children are traumatised…they always cry at night and they don’t sleep at all screaming that those people are coming,” she added.
Rajee Imrad, a South African of Indian descent, who owns a hardware store, said police stopped the security officer who guards the property from shooting the looters.
“He fired two shots and police came and took him away saying they were saving him from looters. But they could not stop them from taking my goods. I have lost so much and I am confused about whether every Indian is a foreigner, because it seems as if the target was all the people not speaking the local language. Government is included in this situation. And it has to investigate the matter,” he said.
Imrad said the incident has left their three workers without jobs.
“All of our workers are without jobs and they are relying on the police to provide safety so we can kick-start the business,” he said.
With all fingers pointing at police failure to provide adequate security, Mordekai Niang from Senegal said 95 immigrants were provided with accommodation at a local high school.
The matron in charge, who asked for her name to be withheld, said: “Some are still confused. They keep on saying they have been betrayed by locals; that out of all people Thaba Nchu has disappointed them.”
She said due to the intimidation taking place in Botshabelo, authorities have asked for more space for 300 more people.
“I have stopped the transportation of more people due to the insufficient space,” she said.
Government, non-governmental organisations and the private sector are assisting with food and blankets to the people.
The unrest started in Botshabelo, 15 kilometers from Thaba Nchu, last week after the municipality destroyed shacks belonging to some informal traders.
Police in Botshabelo arrested more than 150 people between Wednesday, June 27 and Friday, June 29 for allegedly looting foreign owned shops in a fresh wave of xenophobic attacks on foreign immigrants.
Attackers looted and destroyed about 28 shops and torched three in Botshabelo while in Boithuso area looters damaged 17 shops, according to police.