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Twelve people arrested for public violence and possession of suspected stolen goods in Pienaarsdorp, Klerksdorp, have appeared before the Klerksdorp Magistrate court on Monday and were granted R500 bail each, North West police said.
This, after violence between taxi drivers and foreign nationals erupted in the city, which resulted in the torching of buildings and vehicles, police spokesperson Colonel Sabata Mokgwabone told News24.
Mokgwabone said the suspects will appear again in court on Tuesday.
He added that the situation at the city remained calm but added that police would continue to monitor the area.
According to Mokgwabone, the violence erupted after a man, believed to be a taxi driver, was found dead on Sunday.
READ: 2 dead in apparent clash between taxi drivers and foreign nationals in Klerksdorp - reports
Two cases of murder were being investigated after the man was found dead during patrols on Sunday, as well as a Zimbabwean national who was stabbed in the chest while at his store, allegedly by taxi drivers.
Mokgwabone was unable to say how many buildings and vehicles had been torched and how much the damage would cost.
"We also [received] reports that businesses and vehicles that were apparently taken to be repaired were also torched. However, [we] cannot confirm how many were torched," Mokgwabone said.
He said some of the vehicles were at panel beater businesses owned by foreign nationals.
North West Premier Tebogo Job Mokgoro has condemned the activities that have happened in the town.
Mokgoro also commended the police for their swift action in arresting the suspects and urged residents of Klerksdorp not to take the law into their hands. He urged them to "cooperate with the police and the justice system to ensure that the perpetrators faced the full might of the law".
