‘It’s hunger, my sister,’ says looter in the midst of Brakpan turmoil 

First published by GroundUp.

Residents of Tsakane, Brakpan, are afraid they will go hungry as most local shops have been gutted, not only their stock but even their shop fittings and fridges. All that is left are scraps of food and empty packaging on the shop floors.

Looting spread to parts of Brakpan on Monday. On Tuesday, the remaining shops were targeted. During Tuesday night and the early hours of Wednesday, anything left was taken.

Witnesses say children were helping themselves to whatever food they could find during the looting. On Tuesday, youths were seen selling the goods they had looted.

Tshepo Mazibuko, 25, was holding a plastic container of 60 “snake sweets” and offering it for R30. It normally sells for R60 or R1 per sweet.

“It’s hunger, my sister. If l can get R30, l will buy something to eat,” he said. “Everyone is helping themselves to goods in shops, we just follow suit.”

His friends had bags of Shoprite goods to sell and also liquor.

“We have been hungry, no food or bread ever since shops around here were looted. This time there is no running to the mall because it has also been broken into,” said resident Nomsa Nkosi.

“People may have been stealing in the name of Jacob Zuma, but now even hungry kids are helping themselves. Life is tough out there,” she said.

“Some [looters] sat and ate food from the shop and drank cold drinks before carrying the rest home. The groceries were too much for them to carry,” said Abdul Hakim, who owns a spaza shop jointly with Said Mohammed. They were held up at gunpoint on Monday night and their shop looted. Some looters even left behind groceries they’d looted from elsewhere, the shop owners said.

“They threatened to come back for what they left. We can only thank God that we are alive because they threatened to kill us,” said Mohammed.

Looters carry off building materials at Tsakane Square. (Photo: Kimberly Mutandiro)