Foreigners flee xenophobic violence in Johannesburg
JOHANNESBURG —
Thousands of foreigners sought refuge at crowded community centers and police stations in Johannesburg on Monday as the death toll from a wave of xenophobic violence rose to at least 22.
Mobs roaming through poor townships around South Africa’s economic capital have killed and beaten up immigrants over the past week, with Zimbabweans and other Africans reporting purges by armed locals looking for foreigners.
The violence erupted in Alexandra township early last week when two people were killed in an attack, and police said Monday that the number dead had risen to 22 with more than 250 arrested.
“An update has shown 22 have been killed since the start of the violence last week,” police spokesman Govindsamy Mariemuthoo said, adding that 257 people had been arrested.
In Reiger Park, a slum area in the city’s outlying East Rand, violence again erupted early on Monday morning, with residents forced to flee as their homes were set alight.
Alongside one shack, a man lay beaten and bloody, with burns on his legs from attempts to set him on fire.
Thick plumes of smoke billowed around the area all day, police helicopters scouring the slums for more bodies.
Another man was spotted lying in the middle of a dirt road, stabbed and burned to death, covered with a silver blanket.
“He was chopped and burned,” said a police official standing guard over the body, adding that the victim was believed to be Malawian.
It was not clear whether the death was part of the official death toll.
On Sunday an immigrant died after being covered with his own blankets and set alight. The gruesome image of the human fireball was captured on the front-page of several South African papers on Monday.
“All these things are the fault of the Zimbabweans. They should just go,” said a South African woman in Reiger Park, who identified herself as Noxolo.
The violence has displaced thousands of foreigners, who are accused by many South Africans of depriving locals of jobs and committing crime.
Crowds of people gathered at community centers and police stations in affected parts of the Johannesburg area—mainly the notorious central downtown area and slum areas to the east of the city.
“Last night we had more than 2,000 people,” said Mxolisi Koom, a volunteer at the Germiston Civic Center which is near a squatter camp that was attacked in the East Rand, about 40 kilometers from central Johannesburg.
In the downtown Cleveland area, where six were reported dead in overnight violence in the early hours of Sunday morning, shops were closed and an eerie calm prevailed on Monday, police said.
“It’s very tense. There’s no place open at all,” local police spokeswoman Cheryl Engelbrecht said.
At least 300 people were sheltering at the local police station, she said, where they were being cared for by the Red Cross and local community groups.
The bulk of the immigrants who have flooded South Africa in recent years are from Zimbabwe, with an estimated three million having fled the economic meltdown in their homeland.
While President Thabo Mbeki and leader of the ruling African National Congress Jacob Zuma have both strongly condemned the attacks, the Human Rights Commission accused government of failing to take the threat of xenophobia seriously.
“There has been poor leadership in this country as far as these issues are concerned,” HRC chief executive Tseliso Thipanyane told public radio.
“There is definitely a competition for scarce resources, houses and jobs and other services. If you look at where the majority of attacks have happened, it’s largely in poor areas, where black people find themselves living.”
Meanwhile Desmond Tutu, who won the Nobel peace prize for his leading role in the campaign against apartheid, pleaded for an end to the violence.
“This is not how we behave. These are our sisters and brothers. Please, please stop,” said the former archbishop of Cape Town.
Tutu recalled that when South Africans were fighting against apartheid they had been supported by people around the world and particularly in Africa.
“We can’t repay them by killing their children. We can’t disgrace our struggle by these acts of violence.”
AFP
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9 Comments
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0
notimpressed
Nasty business.
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Zen_Builder
Yeah.
I lived in SA from 1987 to 1997. So I seen the country during apartheid rule and after. Also seen the violence in the townships, etc.
A long way from what it was portrayed in the western media. I could tell stories, same way if the africans wanted to take over they could have done so a looong time ago as each household employs 1~2 atleast. Letting them cook, clean house, look after kids, etc. Not surprised at all at current events was just a matter of time.
Said that during the 1994 election a lot of "blacks" voted con-anc as they could see what was happening. I.e.: increased Utilities(which were fixed), housing loans(again fixed and lower than for whites), etc but no increase in salaries. Add to that increasing immigrants from northern countries and you got current situation.
Said that NONE of the current african residents in South Africa are native s they moved in after the whites killed the hottentots, etc so the country don't truly belong to either.
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Zen_Builder
Forgot to add.
Seen guys blown up at bus stations by the ANC, Mandela was a leader of their military wing.
Just saying very different from what was shown in the media. I worked with a LOT of blacks, muslims, etc and we all got along. ben to their homes in soweto, etc. IBM manager has a 6 bedroom mansion with pool, tennis-court and 4-car garage in Soweto. Like any city it has its poor and rich areas but only the poor ones are shown on western TV.
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skipthesong
I thought all the racism was going to stop after Mandela took over - what happened?
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Zen_Builder
Racism in SA was always goverment instituted not on a personal level as it is in most countries.
Races got well along during apartheid, except for the few radical elements. Problem is that the ANC(kohsa) promised that they guys would take over white housing, etc. Which never happened. The few that moved into "white" areas soon found out that houses are NOT furnished as on TV and that their Rand50 payments for FREE electricity/water/etc didn't apply. Never mind that their loans went up xx.
In short racism in SA was always more between black vs black, put a sotho/khosa into a Zulu gang he was dead at end of shift, etc.
The Zulu major group was always pro-white but a minority/radical group got into power.
I can get more into details, just not on here.
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Everton2
Zen Builder you are insane to suggest that racism in South Africa has been more a product of black on black violence. Apartheid was a state institution designed to maintain the status quo, where whites including many Jews occupied the apex of south African society and the disenfranchised blacks at the bottom.
It severely affected the lives of black people who were required to carry ID cards indicated where they were permitted to go. Whites did not have to carry ID cards, and If you say that was not personal then what is? Under apartheid for all blacks what you will be in life was determined at birth.
The white security forces under Apartheid operated like death squads terrorizing the black community. Moreover, they had strict control of the media and the judiciary was in total support of the system and as such many crimes against blacks were never reported or let alone prosecuted. In short, apartheid allowed whites to mistreat blacks with impunity and you say it was not personal. Individual whites loved Apartheid and wanted it to remain as it benefited them and gave them a high standard of living predicated on the subjugation of millions.
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Everton2
Zen Builder- your statements is just outrageous. What you are alleging is that the majority of blacks in South Africa were essentially happy with their lot, happy little tribal operatives dancing along and if it were not for a few agitators like Mandela. That they were essentially happy with their smoked hazed shanty towns, no toilets, inferior education and the ever present racial glass ceiling. That they were happy to clean white homes take care of white children while their own languish in poverty and disease.
Blacks and whites never got along in South Africa. What existed was an uneasy peace that had the black majority firmly positioned at the wrong end of an automatic weapon. If they got along so well then why were there so many blacks killed by the authorities under suspicious circumstances? Why were there so many blacks imprisoned without trial? Why were there thousands of black political prisoners under Apartheid? If they got along so well then why is it that the entire budget of the White South Africa armed forces were geared towards acquiring the capacity to put down unrest in the townships? The white regimes use of armored personnel carriers with special positioned guns became the weapon of choice against protesting black school children. Man get a grip!!!!
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skipthesong
Zen Builder: I am with Everton for the most part.. what is your point?
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super delegate
And JoBurg is going to host the World Cup?
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