Some businesses fail to claim back looted items
MBABANE–Despite the recovery of items that were looted from shops, some businesses-people are failing to claim them back.
This is despite that law enforcers have been seen in the past weeks confiscating looted items from people’s houses.
Most businesses were looted, vandalised and some burnt during the height of the political unrest.
Following the looting of many items, police officers confiscated some of the items from people’s houses. This included food stuff, furniture, as well as household appliances.
Among the looters was a 20- year-old man of Motshane, who appeared at the Mbabane Magistrates Court for stealing threebase sets and two mattresses.
He was charged with contravening Section 15 ( 3) ( f) of the Public Order Act of 2017. The looter admitted that he stole the items valued at E 10000 at Lewis Store at Ngwenya on June 29, 2021.
Four other residents of Enyonyane inEzulwi ni were also arrested in connection with the theft of items valued at E40 194 at Elite Food Service.
Offence
During their appearances, the court stated that looting was a serious offence, especially because many businesses in the country had to close down after the numerous looting incidents, in turn, leaving thousands of emaSwati jobless.
Meanwhile, despite law enforce rs having charged the looters, some business owners said they had not been able to reclaim their items.
Instead, they revealed that they were advised to make applications to the courts, requesting for their looted items.
This, they said, was a lengthy and tedious process.
Also, they claimed that most of the looted items were perishables.
Isaac Ibrahim, a businessman from Bangladeshi, shared that his f our supermarkets which were vandalised and looted were located at Ndlunganye, Mbikwakhe, Nkoyoyo and Motshane.
Among the looted items were mealie- meal, meat and other basic groceries. He said altogether, stock amounting to E2 million was looted in all the shops. Ibrahim said the four businesses were looted on June 28 - 29, 2021.
“I had a glimmer of hope that although the items would not be all recovered, I would receive some after police confiscated them from people’s houses. But little did I know that the process would be this tedious,” he said.
Confiscating
It is worth noting that during confiscation of the looted items, t here was no proof of which store the items were looted from. This would essentially make it challenging for businesspeople to ascertain the stolen goods in their shops.
Ibrahim mentioned that he did not know how he would recover as he had been left with nothing. He said he was suffering because the four businesses helped him feed his family and educate his children.
Mohmed Jun aid Hans rod, who had two of his supermarkets looted and vandalised, said he lost E1.5 million during the incidents. Hans rod Trading ( Pty) Ltd trading as ZamaZama Supermarket and ZamaZama Take away, as well as Family Palace ( Pty) Ltd trading as Supersavers Supermarket, were looted on June 29.
Recovered
Hansrod shared t hat he had also not recovered any of the items that were stolen. He said he had only reported the matter to the police and was awaiting for a response.
When asked if it wasp ossib le for business people to reclaim their looted items, and the process for them to get their goods, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the looted items were kept in court and for that reason, they were under its jurisdiction.
“Anyone who has questions regarding the recovery of their looted goods should approach the police stations and they will definitely be assisted,” said the police mouthpiece.