Johannesburg - Nineteen people had been confirmed dead in Gauteng late on Tuesday as a result of the unrest which has been plaguing parts of the province since the weekend.
These included 10 that died at Ndofaya Mall in Meadowlands, Soweto. According to Gauteng Premier David Makhura the 10 lost their lives in a stampede that happened during a looting frenzy.
He visited the mall on Tuesday and addressed journalists: “The 10 people who lost their lives were retrieved from here. It is very sad.
“We’re losing lives, 10 people here passed on, out of a stampede,” he said.
The other nine fatalities happened in parts of Gauteng ravaged by the unrest.
These included an Ekurhuleni metro police officer, Meshack Mahlangu. “We have lost a police officer. (He) was shot at,” Makhura said of Mahlangu.
Mahlangu was shot and killed at the Sam Ntuli Mall in Katlehong on Monday night. The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) said Mahlangu was part of the police contingent deployed to disperse looters.
“It is very unfortunate that an officer has died in the line of duty, assisting in restoring law and order,” Samwu’s Gauteng secretary Bafana Zungu said.
Makhura said Mahlangu’s killing indicated that communities were being mobilised to loot. He vowed that the organisers would be brought to book.
“There are areas where you can see that this is organised systematically by people who want to do harm.
“I am saying, we will get to them. We will get those who are involved in attacking the law enforcement officers,” he said.
A total of 45 people have reportedly died due to the unrest in both Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
“We’re beginning to lose lives on a scale that we’d love (to have) avoided,” said Police Minister Bheki Cele. He was addressing reporters in Alexandra.
He said while some of the deceased had been shot, others had died “in circumstances that we have not determined”.
The Star