Mthatha - 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.
"Two members of the community were fatally wounded 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 truck transporting sugar and rice got stuck on a steep incline on Tuesday morning. The driver reversed onto the side of the road to prevent a traffic jam.
"This caused some of the goods to fall off the back of the truck and community members came and helped themselves," said Mills.
Police were called and managed to stop the looting from the truck.
However, residents became "volatile" when the truck company's manager arrived and started to recover the goods 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 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 of them had been discharged, while two were transferred to Mthatha Hospital.
A police officer and the manager sustained slight injuries. Mills denied allegations that police were involved in the looting.
"The members indicated 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 matter.
Local resident Alfred Shazi, who is a local SA National Civic Organisation chairperson 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."
Sapa