Unrest arrests: 20 alleged instigators arrested in SIX provinces on Thursday

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) executed a national operation on Thursday, 11 August, that saw 20 suspects arrested for inciting violence during the deadly unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July 2021.

20 ALLEGED UNREST INSTIGATORS ARRESTED

Hawks national spokesperson, Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, said the arrests were executed simultaneously in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, North West, Free State, Western Cape and Northern Cape with the aim of securing court attendance of the persons of interest in KZN.

The 20 arrested suspects are expected to appear before the Durban Central Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 12 August. They will face charges including conspiracy to commit public violence, incitement to commit public violence and incitement to commit arson.

Mbambo hailed the arrests as “significant” and said it was the result of the Hawks’ ongoing “prosecution-guided” investigation and added that more arrests are imminent.

The Hawks Serious Organised Crime Investigation (SOCI), Serious Corruption Investigation (SCI), Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (SCCI), Digital Forensic Investigation (DFI), Priority Crime Management Centre (PCMC) of the Hawks, Crime Intelligence (CI), National Intervention Unit (NIU), Public Order Policing (POP), Tactical Response Team (TRT) and Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) members comprised the multidisciplinary team that carried out the arrests.

As previously reported, in July, the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security (JCPS) indicated that 86 people were being monitored by the State for allegedly inciting violence during the July unrest.

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