Police arrest 4 after Olievenhoutbosch 'muti' looters attack SAPS nyala

Police have arrested four suspects in Olievenhoutbosch after they were found in one of the shops that were attacked on Sunday evening by a group of people. 

According to the police's Mathapelo Peters, an unconfirmed number of shops were damaged and some set alight.

This comes after members of the public order police attended to the initial incident in Olievenhoutbosch, where a group of people went on the rampage and raided a number of shops alleged to be selling muti. 

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"At this point, the group is said to have gone into the shops, removed muti-products, and set the products alight just outside these shops," explained Peters. 

Police were able to disperse the group.

"It is then reported that an even bigger crowd started later in the evening and attacked and burnt some shops that are part of a chain of stores known to be selling muti," Peters said. 

"The group allegedly became violent and attacked the police nyala and the members responded by firing stun grenades and rubber bullets. The members then found another group allegedly looting a shop and arrested the four suspects."

Peters said preliminary reports suggest that this stemmed from an arrest last week of a man suspected to be behind the murder of a woman who went missing in November last year, and her body was found on 16 January 2020 in Mnandi in the Olievenhoutbosch policing area.