Key Points
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Police recover looted food after deadly Diepkloof protest.
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Residents demand water, sanitation and safer conditions.
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City probes land sale and schedules upgrades.
Police recovered tinned fish, braai packs, burger patties and alcohol during a door-to-door raid at Diepkloof hostel in Soweto.
Officers found the goods after a protest on Monday morning turned violent. Two people died, and a third was seriously injured when a truck struck them amid the chaos.
Protesters, angry over poor living conditions, blocked the N12 and N1 highways with burning tires and stones.
They set one truck on fire and looted another. The Johannesburg Metro Police Department briefly closed both highways. Traffic resumed hours later, but delays lingered on the N12 westbound.
Residents demand basic services and safety
Former hostel resident Sibongiseni Khoza said three of the four original blocks were demolished for safety reasons.
He and other residents now live in a single block that lacks windows and working doors. They use mobile toilets that sometimes go unemptied for days.
“Crime runs wild here,” Khoza said. “People rob others at all hours.”
Nearby resident Maria Masilo blamed drug users for the looting.
“They stole food to sell for money to buy drugs,” she said. “We’ve asked the city to help for years, but no one listens.”
Residents also fear eviction. They learned the remaining hostel land may have been sold to a private buyer. A court order now blocks any development on that plot.
City launches probe and plans upgrades
Housing MMC Mlungisi Mabaso said the city will audit the disputed land sale.
“We don’t know who signed off on that deal,” he told residents. “We’ll trace every document.”
Johannesburg Water will start fixing the hostel’s sewer and sanitation systems on July 7.
Mabaso confirmed that electricity upgrades are complete. He also said the city rolled out a hostel-redevelopment plan in March and will submit it to council soon.
Gauteng police spokeswoman Lt. Col. Mavela Masondo said no one has been arrested yet. “We opened a public-violence case and continue to investigate,” she said.
