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PRETORIA – Innovative foreigners this week fled for their lives as locals of Soshanguve, near Pretoria, unleashed a reign of terror against them. The ugly scenes of xenophobic violence coupled with partisan and corrupt police actions have driven away numerous small businessmen in recent weeks.
Members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) turned the blind eye as the foreigners were attacked. Two people died as a result of thorough beatings from the jealous South Africans, who accuse foreigners of stealing their business opportunities.
The matter was reported to the police two weeks ago, but not even a single culprit was arrested for razing down dozens of households, shacks and business premises belonging to Zimbabweans and Mozambicans.
As a result of the lack of police protection, the foreigners, most of them Zimbabweans and Mozambicans with a few Malawians, fled Soshanguve to the South African capital, Pretoria.
Some Zimbabweans went on to Johannesburg while others are sleeping at the Department of Home Affairs’ Marabastaad refugee reception centre waiting for any sympathisers to provide food, accommodation and clothes as they have lost almost everything to the jealous locals.
Police remained tight-lipped over the glaring evidence of xenophobia and violence targetting foreigners, who are successfully running thriving businesses in the area.
Property belonging to foreigners worth millions of rands was looted by South Africans, while homes of foreigners were razed.
Surprisingly there has been no word of condemnation from either the government, lawyers for human rights or the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
Last year, more than seven foreigners were killed with no suspects being brought before the court of justice to answer charges of injury to property, theft, assault and attempted murder.
A dynamic Zimbabwean shop owner, John Dludlu, said he watched helplessly as a group of “barbaric South Africans” looted his electrical appliances, power tools and stock and destroyed his shack, all worth more than R9 000.
Dludlu was quoted as saying: “I was so scared I just stood there as they looted and destroyed my property. I realised that the situation would not get any better so I sent my wife and children back home to Zimbabwe. I have also moved out of the area. If they do not want us here any more, they should at least give us time to move out instead of killing us and destroying our belongings.”
The ward councillor, Mpho Lamola, kept on talking about holding meetings, but no action being taken to protect the business interests of the foreigners.
Some of the highly-educated Zimbabweans plan to seek an audience with the Department of Home Affairs, with a view to holding educational awareness programmes.
“The majority of Soshanguve residents are not educated and they are being driven by the hate for foreigners even where the foreigners had not done anything wrong.
“I have seen quite a number of Zimbabweans and Mozambicans being killed whilst others were severely injured for no apparent reason. I am therefore calling upon the government of South Africa to protect these foreigners. Most of them have created employment opportunities for these same people who are murdering them,” said Titsvalo Ngobeni of Soshanguve, a South African citizen. – CAJ News