Tension in Durban as foreign nationals seek safety following alleged shop and home raids.
Image: DOCTOR NGCOBO
Hundreds of foreign nationals sought refuge at Durban Central Police Station from Monday, pleading for protection amid fears of alleged attacks by anti-immigration groups.
After police dispersed the crowd on Tuesday, many were left with nowhere to go and spent the night sleeping outside the Diakonia Centre, uncertain about what lay ahead.
"SAPS' Public Order Police unit members were deployed to disperse a crowd of foreign nationals who had camped at the police station. A minimum proportionate force was used to move the crowd away from the police station on Tuesday afternoon," KwaZulu-Natal SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda told IOL.
Among the immigrants was Christopher, a 38-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who told IOL that they had turned to the police in desperation after allegedly being threatened and chased from their businesses.
"I'm here for peace. South Africans are [allegedly] attacking us, saying we should leave the country. That's why we went to the police station," he said.
He said fear had gripped many immigrants, leaving them unable to work or continue with daily life as normal.
"They took our belongings and shops. They said if we open our shops they are going to kill us," he alleged.
He said many were now living in uncertainty, worried about what would happen next as tensions continued to rise.
"We care about our rights and ask for peace from the government," he said.
He added that they had also been warned to leave the country before June 30.
Another foreign national, Solomon Maestro, also from the DRC, described how his small business had allegedly been destroyed and how he was now living in fear after a violent attack.
"I stay around the Market. I had a small tent there that acted as a salon. They [allegedly] came and took my mirrors and other equipment, even my tent," he said.
He added that the situation had supposedly escalated into violence against him personally.
"Then, somebody [allegedly] beat me up and stabbed me in the arm. It has been three weeks now and my arm has been like this," he said.
Visibly shaken, he said he has not been able to return to his work area since the incident.
"I don't know what their problem is. I haven't been back since," he said.
Joanne Nahimana from Burundi said she and others were seeking protection after what she described as repeated threats and attacks linked to recent unrest.
"We are seeking security because of this March and March problem," she said.
"They've been attacking us, even at work. I work at a salon," she claimed.
She said fear of a looming deadline had pushed them to seek help from authorities.
"There is a deadline, I don't understand. So, the fear made us come here today to seek justice or self-protection," she said.
Nahimana said the situation had also affected families, particularly children, who were left confused and anxious.
"As we have children, some of our children, they're questioning us," she said.
She added that the psychological toll had become overwhelming.
"We are experiencing trauma. Since yesterday I didn't have any appetite to eat. What I'm having is only water," she said.
She also said her health had been affected, adding that she relies on medication.
"I also have to take medication here for high blood pressure," she said.
Nahimana further alleged that previous attacks had already resulted in physical harm.
"With the fear, the last time when they came to attack us at work at the salon, I was bleeding," she said.
Tension in Durban as foreign nationals seek safety following alleged shop and home raids.
Image: XOLI MTEMBU
Responding to the allegations, Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma, leader of the March and March movement, speaking to Newzroom Afrika, dismissed claims of organised attacks and challenged the response of foreign nationals.
"There is no fitting response to people who make it a habit of becoming victims even in situations that they create themselves," she told the broadcaster.
"Because there's a law in the country and everyone has a responsibility to utilise the law regardless of where they come from.
"So, they have an opportunity to go to the police station and open a case against people that they claim are abusing them.
"We're not sure if the police station is supposed to operate as a hotel for them or not. We're not sure... The onus is on them to prove that we actually did it," she added.
IOL