Arrests made after looting during Cape Town taxi strike
Five people have been arrested in Gugulethu in connection with the looting and more arrests are expected, police said.
Videos have been circulating on social media of people fleeing with stolen goods such as TVs, refrigerators and other expensive items from stores.
The OK Furniture store, in Gugulethu Square, was one of the stores affected.
“People apparently believed there were TVs in the boxes in the store’s storage room when in fact there were bicycles inside the boxes,” store manager Vuyokazi Yedwa said.
Yedwa told Daily Maverick that the furniture store’s storage room was later welded shut to prevent further looting during the strike.
“We’re unable to calculate how much was looted from the store and storage area. We are waiting for a welding business to open the welded door,” she said.
The looting was reported to Gugulethu police last Tuesday.
Read the full article Cape Town taxi strike – Looted malls and stores count the costs by Samane Jnr Marks here.
Also reporting on the looting is Swisherpost which posted images of the rioters linked to the Cape Town taxi strike who were caught on camera looting shops inside the Gugulethu Shopping Mall.
They’ve started looking OK Furniture in Gugulethu Mall #Taxistrike pic.twitter.com/S4lCkYtDua
— Afiba (@afiba_m) August 7, 2023
IOL has reported on police confirmations that two cases of theft have been opened for investigation after a food delivery truck was looted in Athlone.
News24 also reported on the impact of the taxi strike on Philippi and surrounding communities, with public facilities such as Philippi's Browns Farm library, ward councillor's office, and community hall all ransacked and vandalised. Residents have come together to clean up their library and community hall.