Several people have been arrested by the Hawks for their alleged involvement in promoting violence during last year's July unrest.
By 10am on Thursday at least six people had been nabbed in a clandestine operation by the unit, whose members were deployed to the province earlier this week in preparation for the takedown.
Sources close to the operation said some arrestees are politically linked and have been identified as among those on a Hawks' “hit list” of about 80 people.
Many are said to have been part of WhatsApp groups, such as eThekwini Shutdown and Free Zuma, formed building up to the unrest.
Hawks national spokesperson Brig Thandi Mbambo confirmed the operation was continuing: “We will be releasing a statement before the end of the day [Thursday]. Right now I cannot confirm numbers.”
According to police stats, 354 people were killed when tens of thousands embarked on mass looting in KZN and Gauteng.
More than a year later the country is still reeling from the more than R50bn economic knock that resulted from the insurrection. It is believed to have stemmed from former president Jacob Zuma's arrest.
This is a developing story.
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