Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News, 2013-11-21

Violent protests have gripped Thokoza east of Johannesburg after the Red Ants and police went to Imbeliseni informal settlement looking for illegal electricity connections.

This comes after the Ekurhuleni metro said it had intensified its campaign to remove illegal connections in the municipality.

It said in a statement that over 17,000 illegal connections had been removed since the campaign started two months ago.

Municipal spokesman Sam Modiba said illegal connections saw the city losing R36 million per annum.

"This translates to losses of about R2.8m to R4.9m per month," Modiba said.

Spokesman for the Thokoza police Captain Godfrey Maditsi told Radio Islam residents threw stones at passing motorists and also looted shops owned by foreigners in Thokoza including Palmridge and Greenfields.

“People started to loot especially the Somalian shops around Imbeliseni and they looted even the properties of the hawkers at Natalspruit hospital which is just next to Imbeliseni squatter camp,” said Maditsi.

“…But then the police were there to protect, some of them, they were able to take their goods from the shops and they were transported to other places like Palmridge and Katlehong,” added Maditsi.

"Rubber bullets were fired at the residents after they started to attack the Red Ants," said Maditsi.

Maditsi denied that the attack on foreign owned shops were xenophobic in nature. “No, no, no, exactly that is not the case. What I can say is looting of the shops had nothing to with the operations of the Red Ants.”

“It’s a certain group of a criminal element who just started to loot and took advantage of the situation.
 
Maditsi said there was extensive damage caused by the protest where at certain shops there was nothing left besides the building.

“Twenty five people were arrested of which ten are women and fifteen are males and they are all expected to appear in the Palmridge Magistrates court. They will be charged with public violence, “Captain Godfrey Maditsi said.

Maditsi said barricaded roads have been cleared and opened to motorists and the area remains calm and under control with a high visibility of police to monitor the situation.

(Twitter: @Faizie143 )