90 looters to appear in court

Looters targeted foreign-owned shops; some of the looters were teenagers. (Image: Jonund, via Wikimedia Commons)

They have been charged with public violence and being in possession of stolen property following a week of looting in suburbs across Soweto and Kagiso last week.

Another 95 are set to appear in court tomorrow.

About 83 people have already appeared in the Protea Magistrate's court last week and their cases were remanded to January 28 and 29.

A total of 178 were arrested following a week of violent attacks in and around Soweto and Kagiso after a teenager was shot dead in Snake Park. Mthetheleli Siphiwe Mahori, 14, was shot dead, allegedly by a foreign shop owner last Monday. He was apparently part of a group that tried to rob the shop.

Since then locals took to the streets and looted more than 80 shops owned by Somali, Pakistani and Malawian nationals across the township including Braamfischerville, Dobsonville, Emdeni, Maphetla, Zola , Naledi and Protea Glen.

At the weekend the situation was calm in Soweto and Kagiso- with police visibility still high.

"The weekend has been relative calm in areas subjected to the looting of foreign owned shops in Soweto and Kagiso," police spokesperson Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale said.

However, the looting has spread to other areas such as Langlaagte and Alexandra.

A shop was looted and another set alight in Langlaagte on Sunday. When police arrived on the scene, they discovered two bodies.

Police believe the pair was allegedly part of a group that went to a Somalian-owned shop with an intention to loot it on Sunday night.

In Alexandra - a spaza shop was also burnt to the ground in the early hours of this morning.

Police say they are investigating the two murders and a case of arson.