At least 10 people are
reported to have been arrested by Port Elizabeth police after the looting and
burning of Somali-owned shops. More than 10 shops in KwaZakhele and New
Brighton, two of Port Elizabeth’s biggest townships, were attacked.
The attacks followed the
arrest of a Somali man after he allegedly shot and killed a local 30-year-old
man outside a shop in New Brighton on Saturday evening.
The man was allegedly
involved in an altercation with a shop owner over air time.
The ANC in the Eastern Cape
urged police to stop the violence on Monday.
“Any type of violence,
including looting of shops owned by Somali nationals is illegal, wrong and has
no place in South Africa,” ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said in a
statement.
“The SA Police Service
[SAPS] members are the first and last line of defence for our communities, and
we call on them to use the law and public order policing techniques to stop
this wave of violence.”
Mabuyane said the ANC in the
province was calling on residents in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro to refrain
from taking the law into their own hands.
“Somali nationals must also
stop using violence to resolve challenges they face but must put their trust in
the police to deal with any challenge.
“Violence will not help us
deal with any situation but will make matters worse for our people,” he said.
Police spokesperson Miranda
Mills said two shops were looted and burnt in Ntintili street, and a car parked
outside was set alight.
“According to a witness
there was an argument between the suspect and the victim. The [police] arrested
the suspect and the firearm used... was recovered,” said Mills.
The man was expected to
appear in court soon.
Several people have been
arrested in connection with the looting incidents and are also due to appear in
court on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, police had since
moved some foreign nationals out of the area more police officers had been
deployed to patrol the area.
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