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Johannesburg - A spaza shop has been torched in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg on Monday morning, just hours after two suspected looters were shot dead in Langlaagte, south of Johannesburg.
Police were called and informed that people were attempting to loot a foreign-owned shop in Alexandra, said Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale.
"When police arrived, [the looters] fled and left the scene empty-handed," said Makgale.
"Shortly thereafter, we were informed of a spaza shop that was set alight in another area of Alexandra."
Police had since been deployed to the area.
Meanwhile, two suspected looters were found shot dead in Langlaagte on Sunday night, News24 reported.
The pair was allegedly part of a group that went to a Somalian-owned shop with an intention to loot it on Sunday night, Makgale.
A building next to the spaza shop, which is an engineering firm, was set alight.
"During the commotion, shots were fired and the two males were killed," Makgale said.
Police presumed the shots were fired by the group.
EWN reported that police found one body outside of the looted store, and another in a nearby informal settlement.
#Langlaagte Blood on the street where one of the two bodies was found last night in another violent attack. GN pic.twitter.com/irpSv41gBa
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 26, 2015According to EWN, police were called to a reported incident in Alexandra before getting the call that a spaza shop had been set alight in Langlaagte.
Unrest sparked
Looting across several townships began last week following the shooting of 14-year-old Siphiwe Mahori, with these latest incidents sparking fears of the unrest spreading.
The boy had allegedly been part of a group who set upon a shop kept by Somali national Senosi Yusuf last Monday. He was shot dead when Yusuf allegedly shot at the group.
Another 19-year-old youth was shot in Naledi on Wednesday and was declared dead on arrival at hospital.
According to The Star, the youth Nhlanhla Monareng was killed when police fired into a crowd gathered at a Pakistani-owned shop. He was a bystander.
The newspaper reported that 74-year-old Malawian shopkeeper Dan Mokwena was also attacked and killed as he slept in his shop on Wednesday.
On Friday, a baby was trampled to death when a crowd fled from a shop.
Makgale said police would continue monitoring the affected areas, and urged the public to report looting.
