PICS: Saps, SANDF raid Ekurhuleni hostel to recover looted items

Police and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) have hailed their operation on Tuesday to recover suspected stolen items from Vosloorus in Ekurhuleni as a success.

Members of the South African Police Service (Saps) and the SANDF on Tuesday morning conducted a raid at Nguni hostel and the surrounding areas in Vosloorus after this month’s deadly unrest in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

Some of the items that were recovered from the hostel included basic groceries, alcohol and appliances.

SANDF spokesperson Colonel Ronald Maseko said they were not met by resistance from local residents when they arrived.

“We as the SANDF we have supported the Saps for them to achieve what they’ve set out to achieve, which is search and recovery.

“Our role was just to create a safe bubble for them so that they can then enter the hostel and remove what they find,” Maseko told SABC News.

ALSO READ: ‘The looting started with booze and then expanded’

Despite criticism from some South Africans that the raids were infringing on poor citizens’ constitutional rights to dignity, Maseko said the lack of pushback from the community showed that the “SANDF is a defence force for the people”.

“We were received very well by the public and they understand why we are here,” he said.

Below are the pictures of Tuesday’s operation in Vosloorus:

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe