Does it come more lawless than a bunch of people storming a police station?

Sit this one out, America – we saw what happened at the Capitol on January 6.

On Monday at around 10AM, the Jouberton police station in Klerksdorp came under siege from members of the local community.

According to some unconfirmed reports, the group has accused the station’s police chief of operating in cahoots with gangs in the area, and attempted to disarm one officer of his R5 rifle.

Thankfully, members of the tactical response team intervened and successfully pushed the group out of the station.

News24 reports:

The exact motive is not yet known. However, it is suspected that the incident is related to [the] setting alight of several houses and vehicles since Saturday,” police spokesperson Adele Myburgh told News24.

A man was taken into custody the following day in connection with the incident.

“The man was arrested after he was recognised at the police station for participating in the attack on the Jouberton police on Monday,” Myburgh said.

He faces charges of attempted robbery and assault… [and] appeared in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

Imagine going to report a crime, and this is the scene that greets you?

pic.twitter.com/QgAdnXVJii

— Crime_spotterSA (@Crime_SpotterSA) March 2, 2021

You can see the same footage here:

If those SAPS officers need extra backup, they should get in touch with the nearest Engen, because those petrol attendants don’t mess around.

The torching of houses and vehicles is believed to be part of an ongoing battle between gangs operating in the area, which go by names like Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and Vietnam.

This via City Press:

Residents who wished not to be named, told City Press in telephonic interviews that it was known in the township that the gangs were formed to hijack tenders, especially those awarded to people from outside the Matlosana Local Municipality.

The groups went from terrorising [members of] the public and foreign shopkeepers in the township and later resorted to tenders. They decided to impose companies owned by gang members to be awarded certain tenders.

It appears the warring groups later clashed, which led to the torching of the first car.

“Then followed a series of acts of revenge which all left a trail of destruction in burnt properties,” said a resident whose neighbour’s house was among those set on fire.

It never ceases to amaze me how much of this country’s criminality can be traced back to tenders.

[sources:news24&citypress]