South Africa food-shortages, food riots: police shoot dead 2 black food thievesin Bizana, East Cape
Yesterday 4 food riots broke out in #Daveyton #Thokoza #JHB #Bizana
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2014/12/04/police-shoot-two-dead-in-eastern-cape-food-looting
Also: four black pupils in hospital after Johannesburg CBD looting:
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2014/07/30/four-pupils-in-hospital-after-jhb-cbd-looting
Also: Black African refugees' shops looted in Thokoza
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2013/11/20/foreigners-shops-looted-in-thokoza
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Tuesday 2 Dec 2014 Sapa "Police shot dead two people and wounded 11 who "violently" tried to steal food from a truck in Bizana, Eastern Cape police said on Wednesday.
" The police members fired warning shots but it seemed not to have the desired impact to scare the mob away"
Killed were Mhlope Cele 34; Silindile Ndzimakhwe, 19, 'fatally shot by members of the SA Police Service in Mbizana while trying to bring a violent mob under control," said Brigadier Marinda Mills.
Mhlophe Cele, 34, and Silindile Ndzimakhwe, 19, died in the incident on Tuesday.
A police officer and the trucking-company manager sustained slight injuries. Mills denied allegations that police were involved in the looting.
When a truck with sugar and rice got stuck on a steep incline tThe driver reversed onto the side of the road to prevent a traffic jam.
"Some goods fell off the truck and community members came and helped themselves," said Mills.
When police were called, 'residents became volatile' when the manager of the trucking company arrived - and tried to recover the stolen food
which had fallen from the truck. "This seemed to have agitated members of the community, and those standing close by became angry because they did not want the goods to be loaded back onto the truck or taken away by the manager," said Mills.
"Members of the public became violent and grabbed the manager, threatening to kill him as they forcefully pulled at him."
When police intervened and freed the manager, people started throwing stones.
"The group became increasingly more aggressive and started pelting the manager and the police members with stones while advancing again towards the direction of the truck and its load," said Mills.
"The police members fired warning shots but it seemed not to have the desired impact to scare the mob away."
Police then opened fire. The 11 injured were taken to the Bizana Hospital. Nine were later discharged, while two were transferred to Mthatha Hospital.
The police claimed that they were 'trying to assist the manager of the trucking company to salvage some of the goods."
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate was looking into the shooting.
South African National Civil Organisation local chairman Alfred Shazi told Sapa on Wednesday "he went to the scene when he heard shots being fired."
"I could hear gunshots from my house which is near the scene."
When he arrived, he saw spent cartridges on the ground but did not see people throwing stones at police or the truck owner.
"The community said they were unarmed and did not throw stones at anyone."
ALSO READ THE COMMENTS. VERY REVEALING:
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2014/12/04/police-shoot-two-dead-in-eastern-cape-food-looting
also:
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2014/08/20/picture-of-the-day-shops-looted-in-daveyton-protest
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2014/07/30/four-pupils-in-hospital-after-jhb-cbd-looting
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2013/11/20/foreigners-shops-looted-in-thokoza
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