Hundreds in Cape Town have attended a protest against the wave of xenophobic violence that has gripped parts of South Africa recently. Demonstrators
Hundreds in Cape Town have attended a protest against the wave of xenophobic violence that has gripped parts of South Africa recently.
Demonstrators gathered in front of parliament in the country’s second most populous urban area, angry over attacks on immigrants, which have killed at least seven people.
Congolese Pit Shoungwene attended the rally.
“We are one. Africans are one,” he said. “We should not kill each other in any way, in any how. As the president of this country said, we are contributing also for the economy of this country. And you have to remember the majority of the foreigners from outside, they are refugees. So, we say ‘no’ to xenophobic violence.”
A day earlier (April 22), police entered an all-male hostel in Johannesburg and arrested 11 men, suspected of involvement in the violence, local media reported.
The raid, which took place in an all-male hostel, resulted in the confiscation of drugs, weapons and electrical equipment, which was presumed stolen.
South Africa’s largest city is considered a trouble spot for anti-immigrant attacks.
Angry mobs have looted businesses owned by foreign nationals, claiming they are to blame for unemployment among South Africans.
In an attempt to stem the violence, the government has deployed soldiers in Johannesburg and the eastern city of Durban.