Shops looted and burned

Olievenhoutbosch  – On Sunday some community members looted and burned several shops in Olievenhoutbosch, Centurion.

  Police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said some community members attacked shops which were said to be selling muthi.

  “The group is said to have gone into the shops, removed muthi products and set them on fire outside the shops,” Peters said.

  She said the crowd was dispersed, but returned in larger numbers in the evening.

  “They attacked and burned some shops that are part of chainstores known to be selling muthi,” Peters said.

  She added that the violent crowd also attacked a police Nyala van, officers fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at them, and arrested four members of the group.

  An unconfirmed number of shops were looted and set alight, Peters said. “Preliminary reports suggest that this stemmed from last week’s arrest of a man suspected to be behind the murder of a woman who went missing in November last year.”

  The woman’s body was found on January 16 in Mnandi in Olievenhoutbosch.