While Vosloorus continues to be a hotspot for looting, many other areas around Gauteng have started to clean up their communities.
Community radio stations like Alex FM and Mams FM in Alexandra and Mamelodi respectively were looted and lost millions of Rand worth equipment.
In Ekurhuleni, Kasie FM’s main office was looted at the Sam Ntuli Mall in Katlehong on Sunday and Monday.
Station Manager Jabu Mpembe said if it wasn’t for the human shield they formed at the studio after they heard about the ongoing looting, they too would have lost their equipment.
“We started to monitor the situation on Sunday, and on Monday, we took the decision to be on-site in the studio as management and with the team members. The biggest looting happened on Monday night, and we were in studio. We made a human chain stopping the looters. We told them it was a community project for the community. People rallied around us, and it helped us a great deal. That really helped us.”
Mpembe said the unfortunate part was that the mall was greatly affected by the looting, and the radio station’s main office, situated on the other side of the mall, was broken into.
“It is difficult to work when the mood is not safe. We took the decision to stay on automation mode to keep our team safe. We have people on-site during the day and at night. We will be doing this until the situation is calm.”
The office equipment that was stolen during the vandalising and looting on Tuesday was two laptops and three computers, and one printer.
“The studio was protected. It really is sad what we are experiencing. The fact that this is being done by our people is so sad. We see the faces, and they are familiar to us because they live in these areas. They are the ones doing this. The same surrounding communities are the ones that are causing this havoc. It is truly sad,” he said.
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