With a spate of xenophobic attacks rocking Ladysmith over the last two weeks, questions are being asked by locals whether Ladysmith has become a hotbed of illegal immigrant-linked violence.

A local businessman, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, asked why the only reports he seems to see of xenophobic violence seem to come from Ladysmith and the surrounding area.

Police, a local security company, Ward 20 Councillor Abbas Warasally and the community patrolling team responded to a break-in at a tuck shop in Begonia Drive, Acaciavale, last night (July 14).

The tuck shop, which is owned by foreign nationals, was found to have been broken into and looted.

Second incident in a week

Councillor Warasally said this was not the first incident at the business.

“There was an attempted break-in at the same tuck shop last week. Unfortunately, the suspects returned and managed to loot the premises last night,” he said.

Exactly what was stolen has not yet been confirmed.

Investigation underway

Police have opened an investigation into the incident. No arrests had been made at the time of publication, and investigations are continuing.

Authorities have urged anyone with information that could assist in identifying the suspects to report to the nearest police station or contact the SAPS Crime Stop hotline anonymously.

Call for community vigilance

Warasally commended the swift response by police, the security company and the community patrolling team. He also encouraged residents to remain vigilant and continue working together with law enforcement to help combat crime in the area.

Two separate xenophobic attacks occurred within the last two weeks

A foreign-owned tuck shop was destroyed in a fire on Saturday night (July 11) at the corner of Lancashire Road and Hilliard Oval. According to reports from the scene, it is alleged that unknown men arrived at the shop and threw an object, believed to have been a petrol bomb, into the shop.

The owner, who was in the shop at the time, was lucky to escape with his life.

In a previous incident on Saturday, July 4, a tuck shop in the Acaciavale area was also destroyed by fire, with arson suspected. The attack occurred at night and no one was in the shop at the time.

Reports have also surfaced of several attacks linked to foreign-owned businesses in Ezakheni, situated just outside Ladysmith.

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