Mobs went on the rampage in Estcourt today (May 29), looting shops in the CBD.

The looters targeted stores belonging to foreign nationals Shops owned by South Africans also shut down out of fear that they could also be targeted.

This follows incidents of intimidation yesterday afternoon (May 28) in which foreign national shop owners were forced to close their doors.

However, police managed to bring today’s situation under control and released a statement confirming that calm had been restored. “Police have successfully diffused the looting which was taking place in Estcourt town on Friday afternoon.

Six shops owned by foreign nationals were looted. Calm has been restored in the area and no injuries were reported. Police are assessing the situation for further investigations and police visibility will be maintained in the area,” said the statement by Colonel Robert Netshiunda KZN SAPS .

In the wake of a Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling on Wednesday (May 27), ordering the mayor to remove all social media posts relating to foreign nationals, Estcourt Mayor Mduduzi Myeza has stood firm in his stance on foreign national shop owners, saying they must leave town. The mayor spoke to the media at a press briefing held shortly before the launch of the Social Employment Fund Initiative on Thursday (May 28) at the Estcourt Town Hall.

Click to receive news links via WhatsApp Channel. Or for the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join us there!