By Teboho Moloi
BLOEMFONTEIN -The Free State police provincial commissioner Lt General Thabang Lesia said the province was able to maintain law and order during the planned national shutdown on Tuesday 30 June following marches against undocumented foreigners to go back to their respective countries.
Addressing the media on Wednesday after the official provincial parade following the June 30 operations, Lesia admitted that though the city of Bloemfontein experienced a day of peaceful marches, several other districts across the province suffered incidents of public violence, looting, and property damage.
He, however, said as the police they were able to respond swiftly to those flare-ups, restoring order and making multiple arrests in the course of the operation.
It was reported that 2,153 arrests were made of which contact crimes resulted to 223, while crimes dependent on police action accounted for 146 arrests.
Additionally, 581 undocumented foreign nationals were detained. Drug-related arrests totaled 382, while two firearms were recovered and two foreign nationals were arrested.
Three suspects were arrested in Odendaalsrus for looting businesses, seven shops looted and two SAPS operational vehicles damaged in Thabong Welkom.
“In Vredefort, a large-scale disturbance led to the looting of 20 shops and damage to one police vehicle. Officers arrested four suspects for public violence and one suspect for Malicious Damage to Property (MDTP) specifically linked to the vehicle damage.
In Tumahole, nine shops were looted and four house robberies occurred at properties rented by foreign nationals. Five shops were targeted by looters in Petrus Steyn, but prompt police intervention led to the arrest of 10 suspects. In total, 19 suspects were arrested during the sporadic looting, and police confiscated several looted items, drugs, and a firearm, “he said.
On the other hand, Lesia said their members embarked on a massive, three-day multidisciplinary operation involving all specialized policing units and external stakeholders, focusing heavily on serious crimes and illegal immigration.
“In Free State the police monitored seven marches across the province, as well as two groupings that were peacefully dispersed. Approximately 505 premises, including businesses and truck-shops, were visited during the four-day operation. Working closely with external stakeholders, the Firearms, Liquor, and Second-Hand Goods unit issued 582 compliance fines for liquor-related offenses.
Additionally, three suspects were fined for non-compliance, four were arrested for dealing in liquor illegally, and four fines were issued for violations of the Second-Hand Goods Act,” he said.
He further warned that, “lawlessness, looting, and attacks on state property will be met with the full force of the law.
