SA police vow strong action against cop who also took part in Soweto looting

Police in South Africa vowed on Friday to take strong action against a policeman who allegedly took part in the looting of foreign-owned shops in Soweto.

Speaking at Moroka police station, Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant General Lesetja Mothiba warned other police officers to be careful they did not find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

"They must resist from turning into criminals themselves," Lesetja said.

A police officer was apparently filmed participating in looting in Dobsonville earlier in the week in clashes between foreigners and locals that have killed two people - a local teenager and a foreign national.

Gauteng's community safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane on Thursday said the officer, who was stationed in Dobsonville, had been identified from the clip and would be formally charged.

A total of 121 people had been arrested since the looting began in Soweto on Monday.

The looting came after a foreigner allegedly shot and killed 14-year-old Mthetheleli Siphiwe Mahori who he claimed was part of a group that tried to rob his shop.

Looting had since spread to Diepsloot, Soweto, and Kagiso on the West Rand with dozens of foreigners taking refuge with police.