5 killed in violence against foreigners in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG

At least five people have died in the ongoing anti-immigrant violence in Johannesburg and the capital of Pretoria, authorities said Tuesday.

Police Minister Bheki Cele confirmed the fatalities saying four were killed in different parts of Johannesburg and another in Pretoria since the violence started Sunday.

''I would like to condemn the violence that has been spreading around a number of provinces in our country in the strongest terms,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a televised speech.

“The attacks on people who run businesses from foreign nations is something that’s totally unacceptable.”

He said his government would not allow violence to continue with businesses being destroyed through looting and torching. And the behavior was completely against the country’s values.

''There can be no justification whatsoever that people who have grievances should go out and attack people from other countries,'' he said, adding, that South Africans living in other countries could also be attacked.

Looting of foreign-owned shops which started Sunday continued for the third day in Johannesburg in which large crowds of rioters were seen ransacking shops and them on fire.

Police used rubber bullets and stun grenades where large groups of looters were stealing goods from shops. Many migrants in the central business district and surrounding townships kept their businesses closed.

Violence began Sunday in Jeppestown near Johannesburg where residents looted foreign-owned shops after one of the buildings in the area caught fire.
Violence spread to other parts of Johannesburg and Pretoria by Monday with large crowds breaking into shops to steal everything from groceries to electronic equipment.

High unemployment

There is high unemployment in South Africa where locals often accuse foreigners of taking jobs. They accuse foreigners of unfairly competing with them in running retail businesses and want them to be stopped from operating small businesses.

Angry minibus taxi drivers looted foreign-owned shops and set others ablaze in Pretoria last week after a foreign national allegedly killed one of their colleagues the previous day.

Last month, mobs in South Africa looted several foreign-owned shops on the outskirts of Johannesburg, accusing foreigners of not respecting laws, police said at the time.

Reactions from Africa

African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat condemned the violence and called for the protection of lives and property of migrants.

"The Chairperson is encouraged by arrests already made by the South African authorities," his office said in a statement.

He said the African Union Commission is committed to support the South African government in addressing the root causes that led to the attacks in order to promote peace and stability, within the framework of the African Union’s longstanding principles of continental solidarity.

And the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) announced late Tuesday it was calling off a planned international friendly match with South Africa's national team which was scheduled for Saturday in Lusaka.

FAZ said the decision was in response to ongoing anti-immigrant violence in South Africa targeting African and Asian migrants. Authorities in Nigerian and Zimbabwe have also condemned the attacks.

*Addis Getachew in Addis Ababa Ethiopia and John Cassim in Harare Zimbabwe contributed to this report