While the city of Bloemfontein experienced a day of peaceful marches, several other districts across the Free State province suffered incidents of public violence, looting, and property damage during countrywide protest action against undocumented foreigners on June 30.

​Provincial police units responded swiftly to these flare-ups, restoring order and making multiple arrests.

​Odendaalsrus

In Odendaalsrus, businesses were targeted by looters, resulting in the immediate arrest of three suspects.

Thabong

In Thabong seven shops were looted and two SAPS operational vehicles were damaged. No arrests have been made yet in the Thabong area, but investigations are ongoing.

Vredefort

​In Vredefort, a large-scale disturbance led to the looting of 20 shops and damage to one police vehicle. Officers arrested four suspects for public violence and one suspect for Malicious Damage to Property (MDTP) specifically linked to the vehicle damage.

Tumahole

In Tumahole, nine shops were looted and four house robberies occurred at properties rented by foreign nationals.

​Petrus Steyn

Five shops were targeted by looters in Petrus Steyn, but prompt police intervention led to the arrest of 10 suspects.  In total, 19 suspects were arrested during the sporadic looting, and police confiscated several looted items, drugs, and a firearm.

​Multidisciplinary operation

Parallel to managing these public disturbances, the Free State Police embarked on a massive, three-day multidisciplinary operation involving all specialized policing units and external stakeholders. The operation focused on serious crimes and illegal immigration, yielding significant results.

​During the tracing operations conducted by detectives and other policing units, 2,153 arrests were made. Arrests related to contact crimes totaled 223, while crimes dependent on police action accounted for 146 arrests. Additionally, 581 undocumented foreign nationals were detained. Drug-related arrests totaled 382, while two firearms were recovered and two foreign nationals were arrested.

​Marches

Free State police monitored seven marches across the province, as well as two groupings that were peacefully dispersed.

Businesses and tuckshops visited

Approximately 505 premises, including businesses and tuckshops, were visited during the four-day operation.

​Liquor-related offences

Working closely with external stakeholders, the Firearms, Liquor, and Second-Hand Goods unit issued 582 compliance fines for liquor-related offenses. Additionally, three suspects were fined for non-compliance, four were arrested for dealing in liquor illegally, and four fines were issued for violations of the Second-Hand Goods Act.

​The Free State SAPS Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thabang Lesia, commended the continuous dedication of the multidisciplinary teams who worked around the clock to maintain law and order during the planned national shutdown on June 30 and beyond.

The General warned that, “lawlessness, looting, and attacks on state property will be met with the full force of the law.”