In latest attacks, South Africans have begun looting and burning of properties belonging to foreigners and in the process killed three people, while another is still receiving treatment for smoke inhalation.
The President of the Nigeria Union South Africa, Adetola Olubajo said on Monday that the attacks began on Sunday morning in Jeppestown area of Johannesburg when a building was set ablaze by an angry mob. He stated in a statement that the mob looted several shops that were around the vicinity suspected to be owned by foreign nationals and were later on dispersed by the police and some arrests were also made.
According to reports late in the evening of Sunday, September 1, a group of violent locals suspected to be Zulu hostel dwellers besieged Jules Street in Malvern, Johannesburg looted and burned shops/businesses. According to eyewitnesses living on Jules street, the Zulu hostel dwellers were very organized and well-coordinated in looting and burning of any shops/businesses suspected to be owned by foreign nationals.
Olubajo said that information gathered by members of NUSA in Malvern area indicated that over fifty shops/businesses were destroyed, looted and burnt overnight. According to reports, some businesses owned by foreign nationals were looted in Germiston on Sunday evening. A Nigerian-owned Internet Café and computer accessories business was among the looted shops in Germiston. Foreign- owned businesses were seriously affected by this incident loosing properties worth millions of Rands which still extended till today despite the arrests.
Olubajo said that there was massive protest march in different parts of Johannesburg which were targeted at foreign nationals, noting that some of the areas affected by the violent protest march were Rosettenville, Turfontein, Germison, Primrose and Silverton in Pretoria. He therefore implored the security operatives to be proactive and not reactive as many long years hard-earned investments have been lost through looting, destruction and burning. He also went ahead to tell the government officials to seriously engage their counterparts in South Africa stating that this proactive move will go a long way to prevent further loss of properties and even lives. He described the situation as tensed and very dangerous for foreign nationals, hence, he implores Nigerians in South Africa, most especially in Gauteng Province to be vigilant and stay safe.
Join our twitter community :
