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Over 1,000 immigrants flee homes in South Africa

Thursday, 09 April 2015 6:17 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 09 April 2015 6:16 PM ]

Cardinal Wilfred Napier (R), Head of the Catholic Church in South Africa, speaks to foreign nationals at a prayer vigil during an anti-xenophobia march in the port city of Durban on April 8, 2015. © AFP

A series of violent xenophobic attacks by residents in South Africa’s eastern port city of Durban has forced over 1,000 immigrants to flee their homes, police say.

“They (immigrants) said they were intimidated to vacate their homes by locals and came to us because they feared for their lives,” police spokesman, Thulani Zwane, said on Thursday.

The violence has worsened since Monday, with more immigrants fleeing their homes in the southern parts of the city.

The mostly African immigrants have sought shelter at police stations and tents as angry locals have vowed to push them out.

However, no deaths have been reported since the violence started, police said.

On Wednesday, security forces used water cannons and tear gas to disperse a group of foreign nationals who were protesting against the violence.

Foreign nationals hold a placard during an anti-xenophobia march outside the City Hall in the port city of Durban, South Africa, on April 8, 2015. © AFP

Violent clashes have often erupted between immigrants and locals in South Africa as poor residents accuse foreigners of taking their jobs.

Goodwill Zwelithini, the king of the Zulu ethnic group in South Africa, has publicly called on immigrants to “pack their bags and leave” the country.

President Jacob Zuma’s son, Edward, has also made similar statements against immigrants, many of whom have been victims of violence and intimidation.

Early this year, foreign shopkeepers in and around Soweto, an urban area of South Africa’s largest city of Johannesburg, were forced to vacate their premises after similar violence and looting broke out.

In 2008, xenophobic violence killed 62 people in Johannesburg townships.

Since the end of apartheid, millions of African immigrants seeking jobs and sanctuary have poured into South Africa. However, they have become scapegoats for many of the country’s social problems, including a high rate of unemployment, a shortage of housing and one of the worst levels of crime in the world.

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