More suspects arrested for torching Germiston Home Affairs office
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has confirmed the arrest of two suspects in connection with the Germiston Home Affairs office fire.
On Tuesday, residents from Pharoe Park took to the streets protesting against their eviction from their homes due to unpaid rent.
Amid the protests, some protesters allegedly threw a petrol bomb into the Home Affairs offices and set it alight.
Following the protests, Schreiber confirmed that a case had been opened and that Home Affairs was working with the South African Police Service (Saps) to provide all evidence and ensure swift arrests and convictions.
'Home Affairs is collating evidence and will open criminal charges against the anarchists who set a block of flats on fire in Germiston, which then spread to the neighbouring Home Affairs office. It is nothing less than an attack on our social infrastructure and cannot stand,' said Schreiber.
'Preliminary reports suggest that the office caught fire when protesters around the vicinity threw a petrol bomb into the office's first floor, leading to the disruption of operations. As a result, the department has deployed mobile offices to continue rendering services to clients.'
ALSO WATCH: Couple's wedding goes up in smoke with Germiston Home Affairs fire
Two people were arrested for the crime on Tuesday, with two more suspects added on Thursday.
'Four people have now been arrested for setting fire to their own Home Affairs office in Germiston. For those who jumped to conclusions designed to fuel another type of fire: all four are South Africans, who will be prosecuted because we are governed by law, not prejudice,' said Schreiber.
'Deliberate destruction'
The ANC in Ekrurhuleni has called on law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to book without delay.
'The deliberate destruction of such an important public office is tantamount to a violation of human rights and an attack on the state's capacity to deliver essential services to its citizens. Those who incite, organise, or participate in such acts must face punitive consequences,' said the party.
'We caution those who claim adherence to the rule of law while advancing their own misguided notions of how government should function; such rhetoric misleads citizens and fuels lawlessness. Public infrastructure belongs to the people, and its destruction robs communities of access to vital services.'
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