Two police officers have been arrested for the alleged possession of goods that were looted during the protest in Gauteng. The officers were arrested in Soweto while allegedly offloading the goods from a marked police van at a time when they were on duty, police spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili said. They were wearing their uniforms at the time.

The goods, worth around R90 000, included electric appliances, clothes, groceries, a generator and sound systems.

It is understood that they are stationed at the Protea Glen police station.

“Police from Soweto operationalised information received from the Intelligence Coordinating Committee, which led to the arrest of two on-duty reservist constables found in possession of property alleged to have been stolen during the incidents of looting of businesses in Soweto,” Muridili said.

The officers were among 1,234 people who were taken into custody during the unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. According to Muridili, 549 people have been arrested in KwaZulu-Natal and 683 in Gauteng.