Four South Africans arrested over Home Affairs fire
The incident happened on Tuesday during a protest by Pharoe Park residents against eviction for unpaid rent.
Amid the unrest, some protesters allegedly threw a petrol bomb into the first floor of the Home Affairs building, sparking a fire that spread from a neighbouring block of flats.
Schreiber said Home Affairs had opened a criminal case and was working with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to ensure 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,' he said.
Police arrested two people on Tuesday and took two more into custody on Thursday.
'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,' Schreiber added.
The department has deployed mobile offices to continue providing services in the area.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
SA Falls Prey to US Playbook on Human Rights, Regime Change
A worker checks the first copy of "The Star", the biggest and most respected South African daily, hot from the printing press on May 02, 1994 in Johannesburg, South Africa, as it headlines Nelson Mandela as next president of the country following the ANC victory in the first all-race elections. Thirty years of governance have taken their toll on the ANC. This vulnerability created the ideal conditions for a regime change strategy to advance, says the writer. Image: AFP Dr. Reneva Fourie The pattern is well-worn. Regardless of the issue or the president in power, if a country refuses to toe the Washington line, accusations of human rights abuses become the weapon of choice. Cuba and Venezuela were targeted primarily because of their economic policies, which diverged from the model preferred by Washington. Iran and China were labelled for achieving successes that rivalled or surpassed Western capabilities. Now the target is South Africa. The offence is that the country dared to take Israel to the International Court of Justice and lay bare evidence of genocidal acts. When pressure failed to deter the government from this principled course, the United States released a plethora of destabilising interventions, the most recent being a report alleging that the human rights situation in South Africa had worsened significantly. In the past, millions accepted the official story told about countries placed on Washington's list of offenders. They defended sanctions that crippled economies and harmed civilians. Those who challenged the propaganda were branded as conspiracy theorists or apologists for despots. South Africans are now watching this process unfold in real time. Narratives are created and disseminated through a system of media, think tanks, and lobbying networks, until repetition renders them true. This is not a new phenomenon. Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman's Manufacturing Consent detailed how media and political elites shape public perception to align with imperial interests. The same playbook is being used against South Africa. The US government, alongside its allies in the corporate media and right-wing NGOs, is constructing a narrative of a 'failing state' to justify intervention. Several sources, including Dale McKinley's The ANC and the Liberation Struggle: A Critical Political Biography, indicate that the seeds of regime-change had been planted well before the democratic transition. Knowing that the fall of apartheid was imminent, and that the vast socio-economic disparities due to apartheid policies would compel some form of social protection, deliberate efforts were made to secure capital control of the economy and progressively erode the highly popular power of South Africa's liberation movement. Thirty years of governance have taken their toll on the ANC. Internal disputes, corruption scandals, and declining service delivery have eroded public trust. This vulnerability created the ideal conditions for a regime change strategy to advance. In the run-up to the 2024 general election, large sums were poured into a coordinated effort to remove the ANC from power. One significant step was a meeting held in Gdańsk, Poland, in 2023. Out of this gathering came plans for a political coalition to challenge the ANC, then known as the Moonshot Pact. The return of the Trump administration to power in the United States gave impetus to the regime-change agenda. Backed strongly by the Zionist lobby, the administration re-established links with figures and groups rooted in the apartheid era. It embraced false claims promoted by AfriForum and Solidarity about state-sponsored genocide, land seizures, and restrictions on cultural rights. These are being weaponised to discredit progressive forces inside the South African government. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading The United States' 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in South Africa presents itself as objective but is a work of distortion. It accuses the government of complicity in extra-judicial killings, repression of free expression, and antisemitism. It claims the state had failed to take credible action against officials responsible for human rights abuses and included allegations of inflammatory racial rhetoric and violence against racial minorities. The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation rejected the report outright. It described it as inaccurate and deeply flawed, and said it ignored the reality of South Africa's constitutional democracy. Despite this, Solidarity announced plans to travel to the United States in September. Its stated purpose is to propose ways for Washington and other foreign actors to improve human rights in South Africa. There is no moral or political justification for such an appeal. The United States is a country that fails to address its own deep racial and economic inequalities and that has fuelled human rights abuses globally through war, sanctions, and covert operations. South Africa already has the National Dialogue, which provides a platform for honest discussion and collective problem-solving. Solidarity's actions are treasonous. They seek to restore the racial hierarchy of the past and place South Africa under a form of minority rule that would guarantee elite privilege. What Solidarity and its allies may not realise is that they are not the architects of this agenda but the instruments of it. The real prize for Washington and its corporate backers is a government that will embrace neoliberal policies without question. That role fits the Democratic Alliance perfectly. The United States is becoming more open in its regime change tactics, confident that the same methods used in Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe can work in Southern Africa. It is aggressively forging ahead to undermine South Africa's ability to determine its policies, protect its resources, and shape its future free from foreign control. The answer is not to retreat into denial or partisanship. It is to recognise that the struggle for sovereignty is a shared one. External actors can exploit the divisions that exist within South African society unless they are addressed honestly and directly. That is why the National Dialogue process is critical. It provides a forum where competing visions can be debated without the interference of those whose only interest is to control outcomes for their gain. South Africa has faced powerful adversaries before. The defeat of apartheid was not a gift. It was the result of unity, sacrifice, and a refusal to accept the idea that the powerful always win. The same spirit is needed now. We need to be united on the principle that the people of South Africa, and no one else, must decide the country's future. If South Africans adhere to that principle, the current campaign of manipulation and pressure will fail, just as previous attempts to crush the people's will have failed. * Dr Reneva Fourie is a policy analyst specialising in governance, development, and security. ** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.
The South African
11 hours ago
- The South African
Triple fishing tragedy rocks Shelly Point
A tragic accident off the West Coast has claimed the lives of three local fishermen after their vessel capsized near Shelly Point on Friday afternoon. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) confirmed the incident, saying their Mykonos and St Helena Bay stations were activated at 16:11 following eyewitness reports of a man clinging to a capsized fishing boat, with more people feared in the water. NSRI St Helena Bay launched their rescue craft Rotary Onwards , with assistance from the SA Police Services, West Coast Disaster Risk Management, EMS, Saldanha Bay Traffic Services, and West Coast Medical Rescue. Police diving units were also alerted. On arrival, responders found the body of an adult male washed ashore, who was sadly declared deceased at the scene by paramedics. A second body was discovered in shallow surf nearby and recovered by NSRI rescue swimmers in cooperation with police. The man was also declared deceased. A Good Samaritan, wearing a wetsuit, was found in the surf searching among the rocks for the third missing fisherman. An NSRI rescue swimmer joined the search, and together they located and recovered the man's body from the rocky shoreline. All three men were declared deceased and their bodies were handed over to police and the Government Health Forensic Pathology Services. The victims are all believed to be local adult fishermen. Their identities have not yet been released. 'The circumstances that led to the fishing boat capsizing and the time of the incident is not clear,' said Cedric Brown, NSRI Mykonos duty coxswain. 'Police have opened an inquest docket.' The NSRI, emergency services, and police have commended the eyewitness who raised the alarm, as well as the Good Samaritan who bravely entered the surf to assist. 'Our condolences are conveyed to the family and friends of the three deceased fishermen,' Brown added. Post your condolences below, by … Leaving a comment below, or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
11 hours ago
- The South African
15-year-old learner arrested after stabbing schoolmate in KZN
A 15-year-old learner was arrested after stabbing his schoolmate in KwaMhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), on Thursday, 14 August 2025. Police received a call about a student who was stabbed and needed an ambulance. They immediately rushed to the school and found the victim lying face up with a stab wound on his left chest. The fight commenced after school between the two learners and proceeded to the street next to the school, where the suspect took out a knife and stabbed the victim in the chest. The suspect fled the scene and was traced to his residence, where he was arrested. The knife used to carry out the murder was found in the possession of the suspect's friend, who was taken in for further questioning. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) confirmed the death of the student. Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane confirmed to The South African that the cause of the fight is unknown yet. Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr)Zeph Mkhwanazi, expressed concern about youth violence. He said, 'It is heartbreaking that such a tragic incident involved children. Learners should be focused on their studies, not violence. We urge parents, schools, and communities to work together to address the root cause of youth violence.' A man was arrested for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a 37-year-old man. The suspect accused the victim of stealing his cell phone before assaulting and forcing him into the boot. Community members recalled seeing the 49-year-old suspect driving a white Mercedes-Benz sedan forcing someone into the boot of the car at Naledi Mall, Phuthaditjhaba. Investigations led the police to a house in Phuthaditjhaba, where they found the vehicle parked in the yard. The police then instructed the suspect to open the boot, where they discovered the victim. 'Police discovered the alleged victim with visible injuries, including an open wound to his right cheek and lower lip,' read the police statement. The victim was rushed to the hospital for further treatment. A case of kidnapping and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm is under investigation. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
