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Tensions have abated and calm has been restored in the Jeffreys Bay and broader Kouga region in the Eastern Cape after police were deployed following violent protests on Thursday.
Provincial police spokesperson Brig Nobuntu Gantana said while public order had been restored in the area, foreign-owned spaza shops in the area remained closed as a precautionary measure.
“Police visibility remains high, with Public Order Policing (POP) and visible policing units still deployed to deter any further unrest and ensure the safety of all residents,” she said.
She said provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Vuyisile Ncata had directed the district to intensify search-and-seizure operations to recover looted property. Investigators were also actively probing the role of the march leaders in instigating Thursday’s violence, with the possibility of further arrests as the investigation unfolded.
Gantana said it had been clarified that a house fire that was widely reported on could not be linked to the violence, with the blaze having been determined to have been caused by an electrical fault.
She added that 69 suspects aged between 18 and 52 had been arrested for public violence on Thursday after at least 23 spaza shops were looted.
Several foreign nationals were placed in temporary shelter for their safety, and three injured people were referred for medical treatment.
The suspects all remain in custody and are due to appear in the Humansdorp magistrate’s court on Monday, she said.
“We are satisfied with the current calm, but we will not let our guard down. I call on community leaders to continue engaging residents and to co-operate with police in handing over any looted goods. Lawlessness will not be tolerated, and those who break the law will face the full might of justice,” commissioner Ncata said.
TimesLIVE
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