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Looting, violence spread in major cities

Published:Tuesday | September 3, 2019 | 12:00 AM
The Associated Press
Looters make off with goods from a store in downtown Johannesburg on Monday. Police had earlier fired rubber bullets as they struggled to stop looters who targeted businesses as unrest broke out in several spots in and around the city. (AP Photo)

JOHANNESBURG (AP):

Looting and violence spread across several neighbourhoods in South Africa’s major cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg on Monday after a spate of overnight attacks that appeared to target foreign-owned shops.

At least 50 shops were looted and burned early Monday in the southern Johannesburg suburbs of Malvern and Jeppestown. Police fired rubber bullets at looters as burnt cars were stranded in the roads as violence grew.

Officials dismissed reports that the ongoing attacks were xenophobic and that foreign-owned shops were targeted in the violence, insisting that they were opportunistic crimes.

“Xenophobia is just an excuse that is being used by people to commit criminal acts,” Police Minister Bheki Cele told the media on Monday afternoon. “It is not xenophobia but pure criminality.”