Madness as protesting children loot Johannesburg shops

31 July 2014 - 08:14 By Penwell Dlamini
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File photo.
File photo.
Image: Times Media

Disposable nappies, beer, computer screens, chocolates, sweets and batteries are some of the loot that police and security guards confiscated from school children who caused havoc in the Johannesburg city centre demanding better education.

Various police units were called to the scene yesterday afternoon as thousands of pupils from Ekurhuleni, Soweto, Midvaal, Orange Farm and other parts of Gauteng arrived from trains and flooded the streets of Johannesburg city centre unannounced.

They looted shops, forced people to run for cover as they went on a rampage complaining about the quality of education they receive in the province.

Police were forced to block roads to allow the pupils who had split into groups terrorising everyone on the road.

It is unclear how the march was coordinated.

“We are tired of bad education. We want to use tablets and get better classrooms. There are not enough books, desks and teachers do not come for classes and we're tire of it,” said one of the pupils from the East Rand.

Others did not even know why they were at the march.

“I don't know anything. I was told that there is no school today and we are going on a protest,” said one of the pupils.

Some went to the Gauteng legislature where they were told somebody would address their concerns while others moved to the Gauteng Department of Education.

No formal memorandum was submitted and the police had to usher the pupils back to the train.

On their way back, it was the same story. They looted shops and stole stock of hawkers on the side of the road.

Some of the hawkers ran for their lives while others covered their goods to prevent the pupils from stealing them.

When the throng of pupils arrived back at Park Station, police were waiting for them. Some of the officers and security guards at the station searched the schools bags and took out the loot. But some of the boys managed to squeeze through and tried stealing even from the commuters who were at the station.

One of the boys was later rescued by the security guards as when an informal trader gave him a hiding for stealing his goods.

The havoc ended about 4.30pm.

No arrests were made.

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