Threats of xenophobia do the rounds in Joburg central

Fear and unrest are palpable in the inner city, as experienced by numerous shops, which have shut their doors in the areas of Small and Jeppe streets as the looming threats of xenophobic violence gains traction.

City Buzz spoke to shop owners, hawkers, passersby and a church leader at a local Methodist church to gain a sense of the general feeling in the area.

“When people run for the House of God, it is our duty to protect them,” said Deacon Smanga Mchunu of the Central Methodist Mission, who indicated that the church, which had its centenary celebrations in July last year, has served as a sanctuary for asylum seekers and victims of xenophobic attacks in previous years.

Mike Sibanda, who runs a hair care business on a street corner located outside the church building, indicated that he saw a number of shops close their doors due to an apparent frenzy caused by people running. “I saw shops close at around 3pm; I can’t say why, but people are scared. As soon as there are talks of xenophobia, it causes fear to spread,” he said.

According to Ntombi [surname withheld], who is a store manager at a retail outlet [name withheld] which trades in the area, a number of neighbouring foreign-owned clothing outlets have been closed since yesterday.

“I noticed shops rolling down their shutters but couldn’t understand why until I noticed people running for no apparent reason. There was chaos in the area and we also decided to close our doors, but opened once the excitement was over.”

None of the people we spoke to reported incidents of violence, although rumours suggest there were isolated incidents that occurred in Bree and De Villiers streets. City Buzz is on the ground and will provide updates as they become available.

Read: Xenophobic attacks cannot be tolerated again

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