Two people were killed during the looting of foreign-owned
shops in Johannesburg yesterday as the violence entered its third day.
Isaac Sebaku, 25, was shot dead in Coronationville,
southern Johannesburg, allegedly by a Somali shop owner. Sebaku was among a
group of youth who intended to loot the shop.
One of the witnesses, who did not want to be named, told
Sowetan a group of youth came to the shop at about 1pm.
"When they arrived at the shop they told the Somalis
that 'we don't want to hurt you, just get out of the shop'. One of the shop
owners, who stays in our flat, immediately ran into his room got a gun and
began shooting. He did not even ask anything. He fired three shots and that is
when I called the police," the witness said.
When the shop owner realised he had shot Sebaku, he ran
away, but was caught by police a few blocks away.
Sebaku's death brought Coronationville into a standstill.
Crowds gathered next to where his lifeless body lay, his family sat a few
metres from him and wept.
Another person was killed allegedly by a shop owner in
Crosby.
Gauteng premier David Makhura was forced to end his meeting
with police minister Bheki Cele and rushed to Coronationville to call for calm.
"Foreign nationals, who are running spazas in our
township, must also abide by the law. They must not take the law into their own
hands," Makhura said.
Cele met Makhura, political party leaders, izinduna and the
business community at the Jeppestown police station to bring to an end the
violent looting which has engulfed the province since Sunday.
Cele made a commitment to the community of Jeppestown
Hostel that government would have a formal meeting on Sunday to address their
concerns.
Makhura, on the other hand, said his government would not
hesitate to call on the army in a bid to contain widespread violence and looting
of foreign-owned shops.
He was speaking in Alexandra, northern Johannesburg, where
the rampage by locals had spread to yesterday morning.
"Right now the police are coping. The job of the
police is to police, but the army comes in to shoot down. I don't think that is
necessary right now [to call the army], but if the police ask for help, then I
might need to call the president and the minister of defence," Makhura
said.
Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela said seven
people were arrested for looting and public violence.
On his Twitter account Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari
wrote last night: "I'm sending a Special Envoy to President Cyril
Ramaphosa to share their deep concern about the security of Nigerian lives and
property in South Africa, and to ensure that the South African Government is
doing everything within its power in this regard."
Meanwhile, NewzroomAfrika reported last night that heads of
states from Rwanda, DRC and Malawi have pulled out of the World Economic Forum
that starts in Cape Town today. Sowetan
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