Bheki Cele Asks Citizens to Refrain From Vigilantism, Says 12 Instigators of Unrest Found
- Police Minister Bheki Cele has urged South Africans to not take matters into their own hands in terms of the unrest and the protection of their communities
- Cele was speaking in Gauteng after the SANDF was deployed to assist with stopping the violent unrest and looting happening in the province and KZN
- Cele also revealed that 12 instigators had been identified but failed to reveal who they are and if they had any relation to former president Jacob Zuma
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Minister of Police Bheki Cele has urged people to refrain from vigilantism. The Minister has asked communities to not take matters into their own hands by using the fact that they are protecting their communities from the ongoing looting and riots.
Cele was speaking in Alex, Gauteng shortly after the South African National Defence Force was deployed in the area to help ease the violence from the riots and intense looting. Cele also revealed that the police have a list of 12 instigators of the current unrest within the COuntry.
The media at the scene questioned Cele about the list by asking if this included members of former president Jacob Zuma's family. Cele jumped around the question by reiterating that they had a list of '12 South Africans' inciting the violence in Mzansi.
Source: Getty Images
According to The South African, KZN citizens have taken a stand against the violence that has engulfed their province. Various videos posted on social media depict communities in all parts of the province arming themselves in order to protect businesses and stores from the looters rampaging the area.
A report by News24 revealed that the police minister stated that South Africans who had no clue who Zuma is had joined in on the looting. He explained that they asked a hostel in KZN why they were participating in the unrest, the people informed him that they did not have jobs and were hungry.
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Earlier, Briefly News reported that as violence, looting and theft continue in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng the South African Police Services reports that the death toll had reached 72 as of Tuesday, 14 July.
Many of the victims, according to Brenda Muridili of the police, died in stampedes as looters rushed forward crushing them, reports EWN. 1 234 people have been arrested in relation to the lootings at shopping centres, malls, warehouses and so on.
KwaZulu-Natal accounts for 549 arrests, Gauteng 683, Mpumalanga 1 and Northern
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Source: Briefly News
