Cape Town - Nine suspects linked to the attack and looting of passing vehicles on the N1 highway in De Doorns were set to appear in Worcester Magistrate's Court this week.
This comes after police conducted door-to-door raids and recovered more than 50 large LED TVs and arrested nine people at the weekend. The raids followed a community protest that saw participants taking to the nearby N1 highway to attack and loot passing vehicles.
On Sunday, police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said the protest led to the closure of the N1 between Touws River and De Doorns in the Cape Winelands from Thursday after two trucks came under attack and a consignment of goods was looted.
Scenes of locals carrying large boxes containing TVs from one truck, an assortment of condiments from another, were captured in videos and pictures posted on social media platforms.
Potelwa said police teams, including detectives, promptly embarked on door-to-door raids in search of the stolen property. “The police searches continued until Saturday, where nine suspects, between the ages of 21 and 42, were arrested and some stolen property recovered in the raids.”
She said while this stretch of the N1 remained closed, local police including public order police were monitoring the area for flare-ups.
“All nine arrested suspects are expected to appear in court in Worcester on charges of theft and one for public violence,” Potelwa added.
Transport and Public Works MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela said the acts of criminality cannot be tolerated. “Our law enforcement agencies must ensure strong action is taken against perpetrators.”
He said anyone responsible for those actions must be brought to book and prosecuted. Madikizela said last month he met the trucking industry and the provincial traffic service had arranged for intensified integrated operations to respond to "hot spot" areas.
“Road freight vehicles are soft targets for criminals who attack them, leading to loss of transported goods, damage to the vehicles, injury to drivers and loss of life,” Madikizela said.
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz said looting and theft from vehicles, particularly from trucks transporting retail stock, has no place in our society.
“These acts serve only to cripple our local economy, threaten the jobs and livelihoods of the many hard-working citizens and further instil a sense of insecurity in our society.”
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