Johannesburg – Sixteen houses were gutted this weekend as renewed tensions flared up in Rosettenville, with residents torching houses they claim belong to druglords.
Among those affected by heavy protests that have hit the area for a second week in a row was Malawian couple Albert and Elubey Mwanza, and on Sunday they stood aimlessly in their gutted home, blackened and covered in ash.
They’ve got nothing left. All their belongings, save for the clothes they had on, were destroyed.
Residents in the area said they’ve had enough of house hijackings, drug dens and prostitution that have plagued the area because of a deep-seated criminal element that has made this suburb home.
Swarming with law enforcement, patrols and officers on horseback, the area was tense on Sunday as innocent residents caught up in the violence tried to pick up the pieces. But the Mwanzas are at a loss about what to do.
“Everything is gone, we slept outside last night with our 1-year-old child, we have nowhere else to go and nowhere to sleep,” Elubey said.
All the windows were broken and glass, metal and wood littered the floor. A mattress burnt to cinders lay in the corner. It was evident the house had been violently looted with the remains of speakers, a chest of drawers, clothing and food littering the entrance to the house.
The couple pointed to the frame of a fridge once filled with food that was looted and destroyed in the blaze.
#Rosettenville: This Malawian couple's home was gutted in yesterday's protests. They say there's no drug dealing or prostitution here. pic.twitter.com/kThZNkoBl7
— Ilanit Chernick (@LanC_02) February 12, 2017
On Sunday, Albert explained that the protesting started early on Saturday and eventually spread to his street. “At about 2pm, a group came to this house and demanded we let them in. I was trying to lock the gate to stop them, I managed to and then they started jumping over.
“They found me inside the house and started to beat me, then one of the men said I was Malawian and they let me go,” he recalled.
Albert and Elubey grabbed their child and fled after being told to leave. They didn’t come back until the house had already been set alight by the group in the early evening.
“They threw fire (petrol bombs) through the windows after they stole everything, we had to go and hide,” she said, visibly traumatised.
Added Albert: “The house is owned by Nigerians, that’s why we think they came here, they think we are all Nigerian, but no one here is Nigerian.
“There are no prostitutes here and there are no drugs, we are not tsotsis,” the couple stressed.
“We both work hard to earn our money, I work at a car wash and my husband is a mechanic.”
“We have done nothing wrong and I just don’t understand this, what did we do?”
Elubey said there were also a Zimbabwean, a Mozambican, an Ethiopian and a South African renting rooms in the house. All had run away and not come back.
The couple said clothes, plasma TVs, money, birth certificates and identity documents were among the items either burnt or stolen.
They have pleaded with the public to help them as they have no money to buy nappies, clothes or food for their child.
The violence comes just days after raids were conducted by City of Joburg, the Joburg Metro Police Department and SA Police Service (SAPS).
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Public Safety Michael Sun, who was on scene on Saturday, said the area “descended into chaos” after SAPS officers fired rubber bullets and teargas to disperse the crowd who were initially protesting peacefully.
“This not only angered the protesters, but prompted community members to take the law into their own hands.
“Angry residents chanting ‘Burn, burn, burn’ began to attack what they suspected were drug dens and brothels and set them alight,” he said.
“While the City is stepping up its efforts in the eradication of crime in Joburg, it will take the co-operation of the residents to make it happen.
“As much as we are all in the fight against crime, we simply cannot allow the residents to take the law into their own hands and risk the safety of innocent bystanders,” Sun said.
Community leader and resident Simphiwe Hlafa emphasised that they did not condone the burning and looting of homes.
“This is not in our programme and we are very clear that such behaviour cannot be accepted. We are against any criminal activity.
“We are trying to clean the brothels and drug dens and give our homeless a place to stay,” he said.
Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said nine people had been arrested so far for various crimes related to the chaos.
“Five people were arrested for drug dealing, three for being illegal immigrants and one for public violence.
“We call on residents to be restrained and not to take the law into their own hands. Let us do our job and restore normality to the area,” he said.
Makhubele added that there were Home Affairs officials in the area dealing with illegal immigrants, as well as stop-and-search operations being conducted.
@Lanc_02