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Dozens of ''concerned men'' in S. Africa crack down on looters

Man walks by police vehicle on a street in southeast of Johannesburg South Africa on Wednesday July 14, 2021.   -  
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Photo captured from Africanews video.

South Africa

It was a chaotic scene in Vosloorus in Ekurhuleni in the southeast of Johannesburg Wednesday.

The unrest in South Africa continues, as locals loot shops, destroy properties and litter the streets.

Security officials had a hard time trying to bring sanity. They fired shots to deter the crowd. But at the time of filing this report, it was not clear if there were casualties or injuries.

"Highway of death, Gulf War, that's what it looks like down here. If you carry on further down the road. The cars burnt out, wrecked cars in the road, they've looted everything. The factories are burning, warehouses are burning. The people are coming by their thousands to come and loot", a police officer who name was not revealed said.

With sticks in their hands, guns and metal rods, dozens of concerned men decided to take matters in their own hands.

The minibus taxi owners patrol a ransacked shopping mall in the southeast of Johannesburg ,essentially to stop the pilfering of stores destroyed by mobs.

They crack down on looters who remain undeterred by security forces. 

Police and security chiefs in South Africa have called on the population to stop riots following the arrest of more than 100 people on Tuesday in connection to the looting of a mall.

Police charged against people taking part in riots in the Johannesburg township of Daveyton.

In recent days, the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma has led to unrest, leaving 72 people dead and 1,200 people arrested in in poor areas of two regions.

South Africa Police Minister, Bheki Cele said the security forces won't allow "mockery of our democratic state," and will double efforts to stop violence.

The military has deployed 2,500 troopers in support of the police.

Police have attributed the deaths in provinces to the stampedes as thousands of people stole food, electric appliances, liquor and clothing from stores.

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