Mangaung shutdown turns to looting of immigrant-owned shops

A shutdown protest organised by the National Service Delivery Forum (NSDF) turned into widespread looting and unrest in parts of the Mangaung Metro, especially in Bloemfontein and Botshabelo.

The forum had called for a shutdown to protest about undocumented immigrants, unemployment, water shortages, crime, corruption and poor roads and public transport.

NSDF leader Potso Motoko said, “We never ordered people to loot shops. We only organised shutdowns, but some individuals decided to do their own criminal activities.”

He said the protests were not directed at immigrants in general but at “undocumented foreign nationals”.

The N8 off-ramp to enter Botshabelo via Jazzman Mokhothu Road was blocked by protesters. Buses and taxis had to drop people off at the Botshabelo Mall entrance. Workers had to walk between five and ten kilometres to get home. Commuters in private vehicles had to wait it out.

Daily life was disrupted across Mangaung. Only a few taxis and buses operated for a while early in the morning. Operators stopped services after buses were stoned.

Parents kept their children out of school as videos of looting and road barricades circulated on social media. Videos showed people carrying groceries looted from immigrant-owned spaza shops. Many shops were left bare by the end of the day in some areas.

A woman we met, carrying a bag of maize meal, said, “Life is very difficult. We only have food for one week when we get our grants, then we struggle again.”

A father of three, who did not want to be named, said desperation had pushed people to join the looting. “What we need are jobs, not grants. The government must see from this looting that we are hungry,” he said.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thabo Covane said more than 142 people were arrested for looting. People were also arrested for stoning police vehicles.

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