The KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier has noted a video that is circulating which emanates from an incident that took place while the KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Mr Sihle Zikalala, and his delegation were visiting the worst affected areas as part of assessing the damage on the ground to bring an end to the wanton looting.

The Premier apologises unequivocally about the incident. The Premier regrets the level of force used in apprehending a looter, who was attempting to make off with goods that had been stolen from a nearby warehouse.

While the action of apprehending a resisting looter is justified, the manner in which this was done is deeply regretted.

The Premier apologises for this incident. The Premier believes that public violence has no place in society and in the same spirit those who commit acts of destruction do not share in the values of our nation.

Once again, we call upon all the people of KwaZulu-Natal to stand united in our diversity and begin our rebuilding programme.