Mabopane cops arrest 24, retrieve looted goods
Police in Mabopane, Pretoria, arrested at least 24 people during a house-to-house search for stolen goods from the nearby Mabopane Mall on Friday, acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phalane said.
This follows violent protests in Tshwane metro townships this week after the African National Congress announced that Thoko Didiza would be the ANC mayoral candidate in the city. Clothing shops, furniture shops, cellphone shops, and grocery shops were looted during the protests.
Phalane said police had launched an operation to trace all looted property. The operation was a success and 24 people had been arrested. Investigations were ongoing and more arrests could be made.
"The property is in our storages and we are going to work with business communities to attempt to identify the stolen goods. It is regrettable that we find ourselves in this situation," he said.
Stolen goods retrieved included clothing, fridges, beds, and building material.
These were some of the scenes in Tshwane from earlier this week.
