DURBAN: Law enforcement agencies have embarked on a painstaking mission to recover goods looted from shopping centres in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last week.
However, the government has no plans to return the items to their respective shops.
In fact, the good will be used as evidence and then destroyed.
During a media briefing, Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the recovered goods would be destroyed as their resale value will have a negative impact on the economy.
"Those goods if they circulate in the market, they will depreciate the value of other goods. We cannot afford to collapse the economy by allowing stolen goods to be circulated," she said.
Ntshavheni explained that it was part of managing the goods that were in the country.
Police have already recovered fridges, bicycles, beds and other goods taken during riots last week.
Yesterday, police recovered a range of items including a Defy extractor, 42 bottles of liquor, 829 bottles of branded perfume, five Raleigh bicycles and a Samsung printer from a building in the Durban CBD.
The items recovered were taken from the recent looting in the CBD and have an approximate value of R143 000. All items were transported to Durban Central SAPS.
Anyone who has reliable information can report stolen goods to the SAPS on CrimeStop 08600 10111 or on MySAPSapp. Someone, somehow, knows something about stolen goods in their area, report it.