Police raid Diepkloof hostel in Soweto in search of looted goods
Earlier, frustrated residents blockaded roads and looted trucks, accusing the city of failing to deliver on promises to build stand-alone homes on a nearby vacant plot.
Police raided Diepkloof hostel in Soweto on Monday, 19 May 2025, in search of looted goods following Monday morning’s deadly housing protest. Picture: Mongezi Koko/Eyewitness News.
JOHANNESBURG - A large police contingent is currently at Diepkloof hostel in Soweto, conducting a raid in search of looted goods following Monday morning's deadly housing protest.
Earlier, frustrated residents blockaded roads and looted trucks, accusing the city of failing to deliver on promises to build stand-alone homes on a nearby vacant plot.
READ: Diepkloof protest: Driver of looted truck cooperates with police
The chaos turned fatal, as two people lost their lives, and several others were injured amid clashes.
Residents looted a range of products, including pilchards, chicken braai packs, and a few bottles of alcohol.
With guns in hand, police banged on the doors of container homes structures that residents say symbolise their long-standing struggle for dignified housing.
Forensic teams have collected at least one body nearby, while officers interrogate a truck driver who rammed through a crowd in a desperate bid to escape.
And inside the hostel, anger continues to flare.
"We too, have rights as we live here. When people commit crimes, they come to hide in our shacks and we get caught in the crossfire. I've been shot with rubber bullets before," said one resident.
City officials are expected to address the media on Monday.