Zululand on high alert for xenophobic attacks
Despite fears, there have been no reports of xenophobic violence in Zululand.
SHOP owners in and around Zululand are treading on egg shells in the wake of xenophobic attacks in parts of KwaZulu-Natal.
Fearing possible unrest, foreign businesses in Ulundi and Melmoth closed doors early on Wednesday afternoon.
According to reports, the actions by all foreigners, including Chinese businessmen, came as a surprise to authorities in Ulundi and Melmoth, as the first they knew of the threats was when the shop owners closed their doors.
Some of the foreigners went to the local police stations in both towns seeking police protection, claiming they reacted to threats from locals.
In Empangeni some shops closed for a short while on Friday and police were on high alert after a Mozambican shop owner contacted the SAPS, warning of possible attacks in the CBD area.
Jhung Meu, an Asian shop owner, said he closed his shop owing to a warning of violence passed on to him by a friend.
‘We waited to see what would happen, but after a while we decided to open the shop and carry on,’ he said Meu.
A Pakistani shop owner told the Zululand Observer he was feeling quite safe and had not experienced any problems.
Police denied rumours that the arrest of four young males at the Empangeni A-Rank on Friday morning were related to a xenophobic incident.
Mozambican national Emannuel Matha said the four robbed some people of money and a cellphone, which might have sparked eyewitnesses to describe it as an attack on foreigners.
According to Empangeni SAP spokesperson Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose, no incidents of violence had been reported in Zululand so far.
The violence in KZN has claimed five lives since the end of March to date, while 74 arrests have been made for offences, including murder, public violence, business robbery, theft and possession of firearms and ammunition.
‘We once again discourage people from taking the law into their own hands and caution that those found to be breaking the law will be prosecuted,’ said KZN Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Mmamonnye Ngobeni in a statement on Wednesday.
@kcowan23
