CAPE TOWN – Yet another business has been looted in Cape Town during the nationwide lockdown.
On Tuesday, the Shoprite store in Gatesville was targeted.
The Athlone community policing forum condemned the incident in Gatesville yesterday in which a business was ransacked.
The Athlone CPFs Aziza Kannemeyer said that arrests had been made.
“The shop was doing its normal trading and some people took it upon themselves to enter, do some shopping and then just looted the place. And of course, they were running to and from the shop to their homes, that excited other people to do the same.”
Kannemeyer believes criminals are exploiting the lockdown to target businesses.
“I’m not of the view that it is people who are hungry, I think it’s more the criminal element who are using the opportunity of COVID-19 to participate in criminal activities but I am happy that SAPS has reacted very quickly.”
Last week, several arrests were made after numerous liquor outlets were looted in communities in Cape Town and surrounding areas.
These incidents were reported in Mbekweni in Paarl, Retreat, Elsies River and in Hermanus.
POLICE REINFORCEMENTS
Police said that reinforcements had been deployed across Cape Town to prevent the looting of shops during the lockdown.
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa: “Western Cape police management has bolstered deployment in these areas. Four suspects were arrested by Athlone police are a group of about 16 suspects stoned a supermarket, threatened staff and took cash and groceries in Gatesville on Tuesday afternoon.”
In Mitchells Plain, a protest over government food parcels turned violent.
“In Mitchells Plain, there was sporadic violent protests that led to the arrest of three suspects. Public order police are deployed in the area to restore calm.”