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Friday, May 23, 2008

Violent Mobs Make Their Way South To Cape Town, South Africa

This story via The News Junkie. I wonder if South Africa is unraveling right now:
Attacks on foreigners in the Gauteng province seem to have abated with police reporting that the situation has been "quiet" since Wednesday evening.

Director Govindsamy Mariemuthoo insisted on Thursday that the heavy police presence and number of arrests made have somewhat quelled the situation.

However, reports indicate that renewed violence had broken out in the Ramaphosa informal settlement, outside Reiger Park on Gauteng's East Rand on Thursday.

Ekurhuleni municipality spokesperson Willy Dlamini said incidents had been reported in the area. He was unable to provide any further information.

The xenophobic attacks broke out in the Alexandra township last Sunday and have since spread across the province and now into Mpumalanga, the North West and KwaZulu-Natal.

While the situation in Alexandra was calm, it was evident that the flame which had been ignited in the township had not yet been extinguished.

Resident Florah Khwerana said: "People are tired, this is not going to stop now."

She said government and dignitaries who visited the township in the wake of the violence and condemned the violence were making the situation worse.

"They are living the good life... they don't know how we live. Its like the government is against its own people and this is making us more angry," she said.

Khwerana said while the violent nature of the attacks were wrong, residents were very angry.

"How can everyone provide food at the police station for them and here there are our own people hungry. They don't provide for their own."

Karabo Mapetho agreed that the violence was wrong, but she too wanted foreigners to return to their homes.

"This fight will never be over until they go home," she said.

Mapetho said foreigners were viewed as criminals by the local community and this was the main reason they had to leave. They also took jobs which could potentially be filled by South Africans.
I was going to make this about apartheid since that's not an issue in South Africa there is certainly some growing pains to be had there. Xenophobia isn't going to be good for a nation on a continent that would need some good news for a change.

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