FG Begins Evacuation on Wednesday as South Africans Insist Foreigners Must Go

There were fresh protests in eastern Johannesburg  on Sunday, with the protesters  demanding that  “foreigners must go back to where they came from.”

During the fresh attacks, one person died, while five others were injured. The nationality of the dead has not been known as of the time of filing this report.

A South African newspaper, Sowetan Live, reported that marchers, who carried weapons such as knobkerries, headed  for Jules Park where former Inkatha Freedom Party  leader, Mangosuthu Buthelezi, addressed them.

According to the newspaper, the protesters were chanting, “foreigners must go back to where they came from.”

The BBC reported on Sunday that South Africans disrupted a speech in Johannesburg by Buthelez who tried to quell tensions following last week’s riots and xenophobic attacks.

According to the report,  Buthelez was heckled by a rowdy section of the crowd.

He told the crowd he had become a mediator and said he felt ashamed about the recent violence which he said was tarnishing the name of South Africa across the continent.

He said, “What we have seen in the past few days is unacceptable. The attacks on foreign nationals and their businesses are purely xenophobic. It is a violation of human rights and a violation of our constitution. Our constitution enshrines the right to freedom from all forms of violence. That right applies to everyone in South Africa, whether citizens or not.”

The South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that the police had confirmed that one person had died in renewed violence in the Johannesburg.

The Gauteng Police Commissioner, Elias Mawela, pleaded with residents of the area to allow government to deal with violence in some areas.

Also news24.com reported that Gauteng police spokesperson, Captain Kay Makhubele, confirmed that five people were injured.

The casualties were also confirmed by the President, Nigerian Union South Africa, Adetola Olubajo, in a text message to one of our correspondents, which read, “Police have confirmed one person dead and five injured.”

NUSA called on Nigerians to stay away from hot spots where violent protest march by Zulu hostel dwellers in Johannesburg took place.

The Publicity Secretary of the union, Habib Salihu, in a statement on Sunday, said this was to avoid a repeat of the violence recorded last week which led to “monumental loss of property and innocent lives.”

A Nigerian, Samson Onyema, whose business was destroyed during last week’s attacks told one of our correspondents on the phone on Sunday that “South Africans are protesting and moving round now. I am in Malvern and this is happening now. Their policemen are on standby but we don’t know what can happen after this.“

The Punch