A peaceful demonstration in Orlando West, Soweto, turned violent on Thursday, with community members targeting foreign-owned shops and setting ten cars alight. The demonstration was sparked by a recent Constitutional Court judgment on asylum seekers, which allows foreign nationals to apply for asylum regardless of whether they entered the country legally. Community leader Tshepo Mposule stated that residents were angry and frustrated with the government's handling of the issue.
According to Mposule, the march to the Home Affairs offices began peacefully, but things took a turn for the worse when some community members began looking for foreign-owned shops to shut down. A confrontation unfolded when a car carrying armed foreign shop owners arrived, and stones were thrown, leading to the torching of cars. Mposule added that two residents and one foreign shop owner were arrested by the police.
Witnesses reported that some rioters looted bottles of methylated spirits from a spaza shop and used them to set the cars alight. A single mother, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed her shock and concern, saying that she relied on the foreign-owned shops for her children's daily needs. She feared that the closure of these shops would cause her and her family significant hardship.
Many community members, however, blamed the foreign shop owners for the violence. Orlando resident Zakhele Ndaba stated that the Somalians were responsible for starting the shooting, and that the JMPD intervened, causing the Somalians to flee and leave their cars behind. Ndaba expressed frustration with the government, saying that they were failing to protect their own people.
Some residents, like Xolani Khumalo, called for the government to take action against foreign nationals, saying that they should be documented and, if they committed crimes, be traced and arrested. Khumalo also stated that foreign nationals should be required to leave the country if they did not have the right papers. The police confirmed that those arrested would be charged with malicious damage to property and arson.
Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, the acting national police commissioner, warned that the police would not tolerate lawlessness and would pursue those responsible for the violence. She stated that the right to protest did not give anyone the right to commit crime, and that legitimate grievances must be pursued through lawful and constitutional processes. Similar violence had also been reported in Durban, where 14 vehicles were torched.
The police have vowed to take decisive action against those responsible for the violence, with Dimpane stating that those behind the torching of vehicles will be pursued and brought to book. The incidents have raised concerns about xenophobia and the government's handling of foreign nationals, with many calling for greater action to address the issues.
Key points
- The violence was sparked by a peaceful demonstration against a Constitutional Court judgment on asylum seekers.
- Ten cars were set alight in Orlando West, Soweto, and several shops were closed.
- The police have vowed to take decisive action against those responsible for the violence.
