DailyMail reports that in Johannesburg, Malawian immigrant, Samuel Idrssa, described how his friend was stabbed and set on fire by a mob.
‘We wanted to rescue him but there were too many of them,’ he said. ‘It was shocking.’
‘We have all left our homes. Those affected are those of us who live in poor townships because we live with poor South Africans who do not have jobs.’
Violence flared days after Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini said in remarks that foreigners should ‘take their bags and go’. And pictures below capture the horror of what’s currently happening in the country.
READ ALSO: XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS: Help! South Africans Are After Our Lives – Nigerians
Addressing parliament in Cape Town on Thursday, President Zuma had reiterated his condemnation of the violence, calling it a ‘violation’ of South Africa’s values.
No amount of frustration or anger can ever justify the attacks on foreign nationals and the looting of their shops,‘ he said. ‘We condemn the violence in the strongest possible terms. The attacks violate all the values that South Africa embodies.’
Fighting
back: Immigrants carrying machetes have clashed with police in a search
for locals that attacked foreign shop owners in Durban
On
the move: Police officers fire rubber bullets as they disperse the
gangs of African immigrants who have fought back in South Africa
Armed:
An African immigrant, in a jumper and tracksuit bottoms, firmly grips a
machete as violence continued to flare in South Africa
Danger:
A man in an Adidas tracksuit armed with an axe charges at a
photographer in Johannesburg, cheered on by a crowd behind him
Gang:
A group of immigrants brandishing machetes in a run-down area of
Johannesburg prepare to defend themselves against the police
Unrest:
The xenophobic violence that started in Durban two weeks ago has spread
this week to Johannesburg and other areas of the country
Mob: South African hostel dwellers, some brandishing sticks in an aggressive manner, stage a demonstration against foreigners
Intimidation:
A man holding a wooden stick and a shield stands outside a hostel
during anti-immigration related violence in Johannesburg
Attacks:
A gang of local men dressed in civilian clothing demonstrate against
foreigners, with one whirling an axe in his right hand
On the run: A woman in a hat dashes off, flanked by other locals, after trying to rob a foreign motorist in Johannesburg
Smoke: A woman covered in soot gestures and shouts towards foreign nationals in the Jeppestown area of Johannesburg yesterday
Chaos: Men from the Jeppie Hostles roll over a torched car in the middle of the street in Jeppestown, Johannesburg
Divisions:
A man with a hammer retrieves metal scraps from a burnt-out vehicle
after foreign nationals torched a car in the early hours
Aftermath:
A man carries an axe as he walks past a burnt out car in Jeppestown
after more unrest in the early hours of yesterday morning
Weapon: A man clutches a brick in his left hand as the violence escalates across South Africa – five dead have already died
Victim:
Carol Lloyd was left injured and covered in blood after rocks were
thrown at and shattered her car window following immigrant protests near
Johannesburg in South Africa
People
run for cover from a stun grenade and tear gas after a skirmish between
locals and foreign nationals in Durban, South Africa
A
child looks out from inside a deserted store in Germiston, near
Johannesburg after the immigrant owner removed his goods and left in
fear of attack from local residents
Foreign nationals have been seen loading trucks with their goods as they flee Primrose, near Johannesburg to escape the violence
Hundreds
of people took part in a peace march after anti-immigrant violence
flared in Durban. Meanwhile, foreigners fled their homes
Peace: Thousands of people took part in a peace march, calling for an end to the violence against immigrants in South Africa
Refuge:
Earlier this week foreign nationals, who were forced out of their
homes, took refuge at camps in Isipingo in south Durban
Handouts:
The foreigners, including children, were provided with food by the
local community after they were threatened with violence.
South Africans are said to be angry about foreigners in the country because unemployment is high and wealth isn’t distributed equally.
The saga apparently started with the speech by King Goodwill Zwelithini who last month said that foreigners must pack up and leave the country. Soon reports about attacks by locals on immigrants broke out. Ten Nigerians were said to be among those attacked. The king, whose so-called “hate speech” is believed to have incited violence, blamed the media for misinterpreting his words. But it did not help to solve either the international diplomatic conflict, nor the violence on the local level.
