The Hawks are determined to round all those responsible for the July unrest Photo New Frame
South Africa – The Hawks have swooped in on 25 alleged instigators of the July unrest. Last week saw authorities round up 22 suspects while a further three were arrested over the weekend. The three are set to appear in court on Monday.
The 22 suspects who were arrested last week are facing charges of conspiracy to commit public violence, incitement to commit public violence and incitement to commit public arson. Similar charges are expected for the latest suspects. Of the 22, one was released with a warning while the others were granted bail of R3 000. Each of them are subject to various bail conditions.
Social media helped to track down the July unrest instigators
During the July unrest it was clear that social media was being used to mobilise the masses. What was used to create the riots was also used to arrest those that instigated it. The cyber crime units as well as others worked together to use social media to catch those responsible, said Brigadier Thandi Mbambo, Hawks spokesperson.
“The very same Twitter and other social media accounts were used to instigate these activities. So it had to be imperative that we utilised it in trying to get to the bottom of these activities. Hence we brought along our cyber crime units as well as our digital reference investigation units. They worked together with these other social media groups to try and uncover what transpired.”
Prosecuting the Zumas for their supposed role
Social media users believe the Zuma children are instigators and were also instrumental in inciting violence. They have called for them to be prosecuted. The Hawks are still figuring out who to bring to court so it will be very hard to say if they will be prosecuted, said Mbambo. However, she is adamant more arrests will follow.
“It will be impossible at this stage to state as to who are we still planning to bring foreward with regard to these activities. We indicated the investigation is still ongoing and the number that we’ve brought to court so far is still just the tip of the iceberg. We expect to make more arrests. It would be premature of us to dictate as to who is going to be arrested.”
Mbambo said the Hawks will follow the evidence. As soon as they have something tangible they will bring them to court.
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The support the Hawks require from the public
The public at large was massively impacted by the riots. From business owners losing their shops, infrastructure being destroyed to regular people unable to get milk and bread. Everyone was impacted. It is only natural for a person to want to try and help bring those responsible to justice. Mbambo has requested the public to have patience and also to provide any information they can to the authorities which can help to shed a light on those responsible.
“With these recent arrests it goes to show that a lot is being done behind the scenes to ensure that those who are responsible for those calamities are brought to justice. We also request the public to assist us with each and every information that they may have. Just like they did with these others. We depend on the information that we receive from the general public that we get to follow up and gather evidence which leads to the arrests that have been made. Working together with the community in those ways will go a long way in ensuring that all of those we are still looking for are also brought to justice.”
Mbambo could not say what type of jail term or punishment the instigators could face. She does have faith the justice system will deliver the proper punishment they deserve. For now, the Hawks are making sure that every case is watertight to ensure the might of the law is felt to its fullest.
