Riyaz Patel
Several shops were looted and destroyed as violence erupted in the Pretoria CBD Wednesday morning, police said.
Police spokesperson Captain Augustinah Selepe said the violence broke out at about 8am.
This comes after a taxi driver was shot and killed killed during a protest in the inner city Tuesday, after taxi operators tried to forcibly remove drug addicts from the streets.
Police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd Wednesday.
“We are investigating a case of murder after a 45-year-old man was shot and killed in Pretoria Central. It is reported that taxi drivers operating at Bloed Street taxi rank in Pretoria were chasing alleged drug addicts where after, a shot was fired, fatally wounding one taxi driver in the upper body,” police said in a statement.
Several roads in the area were blocked off.
“The situation is getting tense, but are police are there. We urge the shop owners to close their shops as a matter of urgency,” Selepe said.
“I can confirm that a group of people have been going around breaking into some shops that are believed to be dealing with drugs. We have currently deployed various law enforcement agencies to assist,” she added.
