Cosmo City residents say no to looting
COSMO CITY – The community is strong and resolute in its efforts to stop possible looters and riots from forming.
‘We will defend our kasi’ these are words, that in a time of looting and unrest within our various communities, resonate most with the members of the ‘Cosmo City Rocks’ Facebook page.
On July 12, businesses and various shopping centres across parts of Gauteng were run rampant by looters. Visuals of the looting left many angered, frustrated and overcome with a deep sense of empathy for all the businesses that were heavily impacted by the blatant acts of destruction, but most of all, for the all the lives lost due to these violent events.
The same evening, the community of Cosmo City came together after they got word of people possibly forming a group to target the community by means of looting. With little information of when or where this would take place, the community’s leaders mobilised its members to come together and a team of about 15–20 men patrolled shopping centres and other locations throughout the night until the early morning.
“A few people had started last night, by burning tyres on the corner of South Africa Drive and Central Africa Republic Street. We think they were testing the waters, trying to see what would happen, but we quickly managed them, extinguished the fire, and chased them away,” said community leader, Thulani Magagula.
He emphasised that the CPF was part of the team of patrollers, and that police visibility was positive, with about four cars patrolling throughout the night, helping to ensure the community was safe.
On the afternoon of July 13, a meeting was held for all the community members and its various leaders. Here the message was shared that the community was against looting, rioting and protesting. “It is business as usual, and by so doing so, we are mobilising the community to send that same message to their various areas and in one voice we are saying no to looting.”
After the meeting, leaders from different structures were elected and they will form part of a steering committee that will be responsible for disseminating information on work being done on the ground.
