Johannesburg – Two women were arrested in Krugersdorp on Tuesday, following protests in the area.
The women were allegedly found in possession of drugs, passports and syringes in one of the suspected drug houses burnt down on Monday.
News24 witnessed two women being handcuffed and taken into police custody.
However, when contacted for comment, provincial spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini could not confirm the arrests.
He said 59 people had been arrested for public violence on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, rocks and branches lay scattered across the roads and several shops and bottle stores were looted.
Two houses, not far from where the protest action took place, were burnt down.
Protesters claimed that these were drug houses and brothels.
West Cluster Community Police Forum (CPF) chairperson Gert Jonker said the forum was "extremely frustrated".
"One [problem] is, the seemingly uncontrolled influx of foreigners to our country. I'm referring to the foreigners who come into our towns with a sole purpose to commit crimes," Jonker said.
High levels of crime
Gert said the community faced high drug- and prostitution-related crimes, and claimed that most of these crimes were being committed by foreign nationals.
WATCH: Protesters shut down Krugersdorp in bloody protest
"The second problem we have is with the Department of Home Affairs who are seemingly unable to control this tide of illegal [immigrants] coming into our country, taking over our businesses, prostituting our [women] and selling our children."
Jonker said they had also rescued a pregnant woman from a burnt down house on Monday.
He said she was also suspected of dealing in drugs.
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There are two shelters in the area for homeless women.
"Many of these women that come into these shelters are victims of prostitution, drug trafficking and substance abuse," he said.
Meanwhile, Sunday Udeze, who moved to South African from Nigeria in 2007, told reporters that he watched as protesters looted his shop.
"I lost a lot of things… I am very tired and there is nothing we can do. We just have to start afresh," he said.
"The people that are doing drugs are in the streets and the prostitutes are not in our shops. I am too scared because they said they were coming back. It is what I am hearing. So, I don't see what I would be doing here because they already broke and took everything," Udeze said.
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On Monday, News24 reported police officers shot at protesters, who had gathered at the Kagiso police station, with rubber bullets.
A large group of Kagiso residents made their way to the police station to protest against crime, drugs and human trafficking in the area, according to community leader Pastor Joe Mabuela.
