Cape Town - Two minors, aged 14 and 15, were arrested in Mandela Park, Khayelitsha, following an alleged looting incident on Sunday.
The two boys were part of a number of residents that broke into Nokiki supermarket and looted groceries. However, after intervention from community members, some of the looted groceries were recovered.
The City’s metro police department spokesperson Ruth Solomons said the City’s metro police responded to a complaint in Khayelitsha, of a tuck shop being robbed and, although the owners did not want to press charges, officers searched the area with the owner and found two suspects, with some of the stolen items in their possession.
SAPS spokesperson Andrè Traut said the robbery of the shop was under investigation. Traut said, after the police response, there were no further incidents reported in the area.
Khayelitsha cluster chairperson Francina Lukas said communities needed to be vigilant and not let their guard down.
“We must commend the actions of the community in assisting the owner of the supermarket in recovering the goods while, at the same time, reprimanding this act, which seeks to destabilise the community.
“What happened in KZN and Gauteng is something that people do not want to indulge in, as it's something that will not be productive in the community in the long run. It's good to know that people have realised the effects that can be caused by this criminal act and are able to thwart this,” said Lukas.