Cape Town – Four people appeared briefly in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate's Court on Wednesday in connection with the looting of trucks in the area.
On Monday, four trucks, two of them transporting food parcels, were looted. Two drivers were injured – one was taken to a medical facility and the other was treated at the scene – when their vehicles were pelted with stones after protesters had barricaded Robert Sobukwe Drive.
The suspects – Rowin Mitchell, 24, Ryan Michaels, 30, Enrique Petersen, 28, and Magdalene Manuel, 28 – appeared on charges of contravening the Disaster Management Act Regulations, public violence and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The case was postponed to May 12 for bail information and for legal representation. The accused will remain in custody.
In a cellphone video on Monday, food parcels were thrown from the truck to a crowd scrambling to get their hands on the plastic bags.
Bonteheuwel councillor Angus McKenzie, who witnessed the looting, told EWN: “The vehicle had been stolen and had come to a stop. A rush of people from the area ran there and started looting the truck. In the truck were (many) food parcels.”
“Another Checkers truck was being looted in the very same area where the Value truck was looted today. It’s completely unacceptable. It’s pure thuggery.”
Reagen Allen, MPL and DA Western Cape community safety spokesperson, said the rise of opportunistic criminal activities during the lockdown should be given attention and "our safety stakeholders should be permitted to function".
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/CheckersSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CheckersSAtruck in Bishop Lavis, Cape Town. #COVID19SouthAfrica #COVIDー19 #Covid_19SA #COVID19 #LockdownSA pic.twitter.com/P42RaBe5mc
— Ian Cameron (@IanCameron23)