Pretoria - Government has attributed the peace and calm in the capital city, Tshwane, to the sterling work of the law enforcement agencies in cooperation with communities.
In a statement on Tuesday, government applauded the men and women who worked tirelessly during the past week to ensure that normalcy returns to the city.
“The law enforcement agencies ensured safety of non-protestors, prevented further looting and recovered looted property, ensured the safety of public and private infrastructure, seized unlicensed firearms, assisted displaced foreign nationals and brought perpetrators to book.”
Violent protests erupted in Tshwane last week with protesters burning buses, barricading streets with burning tyres and pelting passing motorists with stones.
The violence saw five people being killed while more than 270 were arrested.
This prompted the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) Cluster to deploy law enforcement officers, involving SAPS, Metro Police, private security and Home Affairs, to hotspots like Central City Mall in Mabopane and Batho Plaza in Block KK, Soshanguve, where several shops were looted.
Under Operation Stability, the joint operation was able to recover the stolen goods with the full cooperation of communities.
“Thus far twenty-seven suspects were arrested on different offences during this operation which was held in the Mabopane and Soshanguve areas on Friday. To date, 270 suspects have been arrested and businesses are back and running as normal.”
Government has urged community members to continue cooperating with law enforcement agencies by reporting any incidents or providing information.
“Working together with law enforcement agencies will ensure that all people in the City of Tshwane are and feel safe.”
A strong police presence is still being maintained all around the city as government continues to monitor the situation. – SAnews.gov.za
