Drugs & Taxi Drivers were blamed for CBD being plunged into chaos – shops looted, buildings set on fire and public transport suspended in South Africa’s Capital City.
Taxi drivers took to the streets in Pretoria after one of their “colleagues” was apparently killed by a Nigerian who was apparently selling drugs. They allegedly set the buildings where the Nigerian “businesses” were operating from, on fire and then hijacked a truck, which was used to block an intersection to prevent the fire trucks from getting to the fire.
The killing of the taxi driver is believed to have started these riots in the CBD. The situation left bus commuters stranded after the city temporarily suspended its bus services for safety reasons.
Several foreign stores were looted and a building was set alight.
Police had to chase rioters with rubber bullets who prevented the firefighters from reaching the scene.
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The police system is also broken and rotten to the core and there were accusations of police taking money from drug dealers and claims made that the murderer will never be brought to justice as Police are on drug dealer’s payroll.
However, Pretoria Mayor Stephens Mokgalapa disapproved of the action, saying that retaliatory crimes would not be tolerated. Passers-by were hit with bottles and stones and even media representatives who are more and more being seen as “fake news” were greeted with aggression.
Pretoria’s city center has been plunged into chaos for the past two days now, and people are advised to avoid that part of the city.
Taxi owners, businesspeople and residents who experienced the chaos in Pretoria say the police’s poor behaviour and careless attitude were worse than the criminal elements.
A taxi driver told the media that South Africa will never get out of the mess as long as he is satisfied with the poor police service, especially because they are worse than the criminals.
Another person pointed out that over the past six years, he has witnessed police mistreating innocent people while the guilty elements are shot-free.
Police have repeatedly ripped the crowd apart with rubber bullets over the past few days, injuring people who have no connection to the riotous fighting in the streets of Pretoria.