Durban attacks mayhem spirals

Mobs rampage on both sides as xenophobia denied

DURBAN’s city centre was a battlefield yesterday when angry mobs of South Africans attacked foreignowned shops and foreign nationals fought back.

The battles broke out within an hour of Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba assuring diplomats from Nigeria, Somalia, Malawi, Mozambique and Ethiopia that their citizens would be protected.

At the same time, the justice, crime prevention and security cluster ministers tried to assure the country that “everything was under control”.

It insisted there was no xenophobia and the violence – which has left at least five, including a 14-year-old, dead – was ideological.

In the latest incident, a mob of about 200 stoned foreign-owned shops on Durban’s Dr Pixley KaSeme Street (formerly West Street,) prompting riot police to shut down the area.

Thousands of foreigners – from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi and Tanzania – have been driven out of their homes in various parts of the province and temporarily placed in transit camps in past weeks.

The attacks followed comments made by King Goodwill Zwelithini in Pongola last month that foreigners should leave. He has denied this.

Yesterday, police warned foreign shop owners to stay inside as they used stun grenades, water cannons and rubber bullets to disperse the mob.

“Please help us. They want to kill us. We can’t stay in our shops waiting for them to burn us,” Ethiopian shopowner Aka Bob Amaha said.

Tensions also erupted in Point Road when foreigners said they were not willing to “be prey for South Africans”.

Armed with axes, pangas and sticks, about 1 000 foreigners burnt tyres and overturned bins.

“We heard that they are attacking foreigners on West Street and near the Workshop shopping centre, so we are ready to fight back when they come here,” a Nigerian man said.

Riot police battled for almost two hours, using rubber bullets and stun grenades, to disperse the group.

Police resources were stretched as skirmishes broke out across the city.

Dozens of foreign nationals sought refuge at a church building near the Victoria Embankment.