Its 4 o' clock and we are off to Rustenburg. The promise of violence running thick in the air after chaos broke out at Impala Platinum just past Rustenburg.
We met up with colleagues working for the Pretoria News that we knew where also going. I always feel its better to go in a group because more eyes means that at least sometimes some one is watching your back when your eye is glued to the camera.
When we arrived there we started making our way towards the crowd and saw the cops escorting two men who were arrested, the one mans hands were bleeding, dont know from what?
A Police Officer walking back from the crowd that can be seen standing in the background.
One of the residents walking on a pipe past the crowd op residents.
We started approaching the big group of residents and started photographing oblivious to the fact that the were getting unhappy with us. Until Masi (Photographer from the Pretoria News) told us that we should leave right away because the crowd of people are getting restless and irritated with us.
A big part of the crowd of people started dispersing after they had what looked like a meeting. as can be seen in the two photographs above.
After we left the bigger crowd we hanged around for awhile under a shady tree on the intersection when we saw kids running into a looted building. That is when we at last got some fun in the sun. The next moment a Nyala (Police vehicle) roared past us and all of us broke into a sprint to make sure we got there in time to get some pics. I must also say running with two cameras in the heat, not anybody's idea of fun.
We got there just in time to get some shots before the looters fled and the situation died down a bit.
A policeman arresting a suspect that fled from he looted building.
Looters running when they hear the roar of the approaching Nyala.
The same suspect not very happy with being arrested.
One of the looted shops. This kid and his friend were busy picking through the rubble when the cops came and asked them what they were doing. So they tried to get away but to no avail, there was only way in and one way out.
The same two kids that i mentioned above being escorted to the Police Bakkie.
Masi Losi (Pretoria News Photographer) walking through one of the looted shops.
Fellow photographer Cornell van Heerden (Beeld) standing in the shop. I must just say that the shop reeked of rotten fish and the cops tear gassed the it the day before. So with no real ventilation the shop was a nightmare to walk through, rotten fish smel and old tear gas burning our eyes, noses and throats. I refered to this coctail as the Impala Curry for obvious reasons.
A man sitting in one of the looted shops.
Cops monitoring the situation from the railway line crossing.
A policeman inspecting the shop after a bunchof looters were chased off.
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