News / Africa
Foreigners under attack in KZN following Zulu king's comments
01 Apr 2015 at 10:28hrs | Views
Violence erupted on Tuesday morning in Isipingo, south of Durban, after locals claiming to be acting on the instructions of Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini, went on a rampant, looting foreign-owned shops, mugging and assaulting foreign nationals living in the area.
When The Citizen visited the Isipingo CBD this morning, locals could be seen helping themselves to groceries after many of the foreign nationals shop owners had fled to the local police station.
Screaming: "leave now, leave now", the looters brought traffic to a standstill as they ran in different directions with bottles of cold drinks, cigarettes and other items they had taken from the shops during the chaos.
"Initially I was accosted by a group of guys as I opened the shop this morning. They robbed me of my cellphone and wallet and warned that they will be back soon," Aman Jeylam, an Ethiopian shop owner, said.
"I then went to the police station to report the matter. When I came back I found a huge crowd outside the shop with some people already inside removing some items. They are saying we should leave their country."
Many of the foreign shop owners had not opened their business today after learning that people were planning to attack them.
"We reported the matter to the police but as you can see, there are no cops patrolling the area. To me, it seems as if the police are siding with these thugs," Patrice Kulungu, a Congolese shop owner, said.
"These people have been threatening us since Monday and we reported the matter to the police."
The attacks take place in the wake of remarks made by Zwelithini that foreign nationals living in the country should be deported as they were seizing economic opportunities meant for locals.
The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has since launched a probe into Zwelithini's remarks, which had been roundly criticised.
Zwelithini's spokesperson, Prince Thulane Zulu, has suggested that the King's remarks were blown out of proportion.
"He was referring to those people who are in the country illegally," he said.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Thulani Zwane said police were monitoring the situation in Isipingo.
When The Citizen visited the Isipingo CBD this morning, locals could be seen helping themselves to groceries after many of the foreign nationals shop owners had fled to the local police station.
Screaming: "leave now, leave now", the looters brought traffic to a standstill as they ran in different directions with bottles of cold drinks, cigarettes and other items they had taken from the shops during the chaos.
"Initially I was accosted by a group of guys as I opened the shop this morning. They robbed me of my cellphone and wallet and warned that they will be back soon," Aman Jeylam, an Ethiopian shop owner, said.
"I then went to the police station to report the matter. When I came back I found a huge crowd outside the shop with some people already inside removing some items. They are saying we should leave their country."
Many of the foreign shop owners had not opened their business today after learning that people were planning to attack them.
"We reported the matter to the police but as you can see, there are no cops patrolling the area. To me, it seems as if the police are siding with these thugs," Patrice Kulungu, a Congolese shop owner, said.
"These people have been threatening us since Monday and we reported the matter to the police."
The attacks take place in the wake of remarks made by Zwelithini that foreign nationals living in the country should be deported as they were seizing economic opportunities meant for locals.
The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has since launched a probe into Zwelithini's remarks, which had been roundly criticised.
Zwelithini's spokesperson, Prince Thulane Zulu, has suggested that the King's remarks were blown out of proportion.
"He was referring to those people who are in the country illegally," he said.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Thulani Zwane said police were monitoring the situation in Isipingo.
Source - citizen.co.za
