Rubber bullets to disperse North West looters

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of teenagers who were looting foreign-owned shops in Lethabong near Rustenburg on Tuesday night.

A gang of about 50 teenagers moved from one section of the township to another, looting shops before running away when a lone police Nyala roared onto the scene.

“Come on, the corner shop,” the group shouted, attacking a foreign shop in Slovo section.

The looters fled empty-handed when police moved in.

However, at least three shops were looted.

“We want money,” one youth told the African News Agency.

“These shops are expensive and they do not give us credit, that is why we loot them,” he said.

The group started blocking roads in the township with rocks and other objects following a meeting in which a resolution was apparently taken to block all entrances on Wednesday morning to prevent people from going to work or school.

Residents were demanding that the Rustenburg municipality speed up the allocation of residential sites and attend to a sewerage spill in Chesampa which had been running for over six months.

On Monday afternoon the group had blocked roads with burning tyres and rocks but, the police managed to stop the planned protest.