Xenophobic looting, attacks engulf Malvern

Unrest in Johannesburg which has already resulted in one fatality on Sunday has spread to Malvern where a building was on fire, Gauteng police confirmed on Sunday night.

“There is a group that is looting and attacking people,” spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said.

Police were on scene.

Earlier on Sunday, one person was killed in violence in the Johannesburg city centre, with Makhubele confirming that the victim had been stabbed with a sharp object at the corner of Bree and Plein Streets.

He was unable to confirm the identity or nationality of the deceased.

Five others had been injured.

A group of men, some of them wielding sticks, pangas and tree branches, marched through the city centre after disrupting a meeting in which IFP President Emeritus Mangosuthu Buthelezi spoke to hostel residents following a week of deadly xenophobic violence.

Makhubele said 16 people were arrested for public violence and possession of stolen property before the situation in the CBD, Jeppestown and Hillbrow was reportedly “under control”.

⚠️ALERT⚠️
Malvern
Building on fire at Jules & 24th Str. @CityofJoburgEMS, @JoburgMPD & @SAPoliceService on scene. pic.twitter.com/G5zq7Cd6As

— AskTheChief01 #BuyaMthetho 🔥 (@David_S_Tembe) September 8, 2019

#JoburgCBD Unrest: Video as received. pic.twitter.com/lKzHwoxM3J

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) September 8, 2019

The ANC condemned the latest flare-up of  “violence and lawlessness”, urging law enforcement agencies to “find a permanent solution to these sporadic incidents and ensure that stability and normality are restored”.

“We call on the police to be firm and uncompromising in dealing with criminals who, among other things, deal in drug and human trafficking, regardless of their nationalities or place of origin,” party spokesperson Pule Mabe said in a statement.

“We urge relevant authorities to enforce by-laws and deal decisively against those who trade in counterfeit goods and conduct businesses illegally. The police must act harshly against these crimes, whether committed by South Africans or foreign nationals.”

“The police must continue to enforce the law without fear or favour”

He said the party “[welcomes] all foreigners who come to the country legally and who respect our laws”.

“Our law-abiding citizens are understandably sick and tired of those who are breaking the moral fibre of our society by turning our kids into prostitutes and drug addicts. We urge all South Africans to give the police space to do their work and to refrain from taking the law into their hands. The ANC fought for peace and security for all and we must never allow criminals or opportunists alike to undermine our collective efforts to ensure peace and stability,” he said.

“Those who are involved in crimes, including attacks on our law-enforcement officers must have no place to hide. The police must continue to enforce the law without fear or favour. We reject insinuations that our police or government is xenophobic when they come [down] hard against these crimes.”

Mabe added that the ANC “continues to condemn acts of xenophobia wherever these may rear their ugly heads”.

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