A recent outbreak of xenophobic attacks in Durban, South Africa, has spread to the rest of the country, with flare ups now taking place in the rest of South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The attacks in Durban started as anti-immigrant riots which turned violent. Protesters were subdued by the South African Police Service with rubber bullets and tear gas.
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These shocking attacks soon spread to Johannesburg and continue to be violent. The violence has pulled apart both families and communities, with many immigrant citizens having to flee their homes and abandon their belongings to venture to camps of safety set up by the South African government. These attacks are similar to the xenophobia aggressions that broke out in South Africa in 2008, leading to the deaths of 60 people.
The violence has led to scorn and calls for peace from political leaders, with South African president Jacob Zuma canceling his attendance at the Africa-Asia Summit in Indonesia in order to deal with the issues at hand. The Office of the Presidency has announced that it will be holding peace summits and talks with local community leaders. The purpose of these meetings is to understand the community’s concerns regarding immigrants, and abate some of the violence.
This has, however, not comforted immigrants who have had shops looted, been attacked in the street and who have been separated from family members. Many communities have banded together to protest for peace, marching to parliamentary buildings to bring awareness to the situation.
The violence has also spread to neighboring countries, with South Africans being scorned in countries like Malawi and Mozambique where South African vehicles have been attacked and people pelted with stones. South African businesses in the country of Nigeria have also been threatened with closure in retaliation for the attacks. President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has stated that he is outraged by the violence taking place and has started making arrangements for Zimbabweans to safely return to their native country.
The South African government has created camps of safety and refuge in KwaZulu- Natal and Gauteng where the majority of displacement has taken place. They have also provided food and necessities to over a thousand people so far, and communities are attempting to aid by making donations of blankets, hygiene products and food.
So far, 7 people died, of which a fourteen-year-old boy, who was shot several times during the looting of a residential area known as KwaNdlanzi. Only forty-eight people have been arrested as of yet, mainly due to difficulty the South African Police Service have had in probing the troubled areas despite being on call 24/7. South African troops are currently being deployed to prevent violence on foreigners.
Political leaders from the rest of Africa and the world have urged the South African government and leaders to take a firmer grasp on issues of Xenophobia to ensure the safety of foreign nationals within the country. The economy is expected to take a fall due to the closure of businesses for safety reasons.
Say no to xenophobia: we are all Africans, and we are all people. #NoToXenophobia #WeAreAfrica
