48 people have been arrested since the outbreak of xenophobic violence in KwaZulu-Natal over the weekend, Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Tuesday.
Briefing reporters in Cape Town with a video-link to Pretoria, she said that government was concerned about the ongoing violence taking place in the province.
“The Justice, Crime Prevention, and Security Cluster (JCPS) notes with deep concern the incidents of violence unfolding in our country and we want to assert government’s position that any lawlessness will not be tolerated,” she said.
“Government will not hesitate to enforce the laws of the country.”
On Tuesday, police confirmed that a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed in Ntuzuma, near KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday night.
Police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker said the information they had indicated that the boy had been shot and was taken to a nearby clinic where he succumbed to his injuries.
Looters hit foreign-owned shops for second day
Dozens of looters arrived in Pinetown in KwaZulu-Natal for the second day in a row on Tuesday, helping themselves to stock owned by foreign nationals.
Nigerian shop owner, Sam Tony, who had a shop in Hill Street said: “They came today, they took from the Senegalese (shop owner). They came in their numbers, about 60 or 50. When they came, we just closed our shops and stood outside.”
He said the looters arrived between 10:00 and 10:30, the same time as Monday.
They did not attack the shop owners, but grabbed clothing and ran off.
“They are stopping our businesses. People who come to do shopping in Pinetown are now scared. How do we pay pay rent like this?,” asked Tony.
He said the few police officers present just stood and watched the looting.
The Senegalese shop owner, who identified himself as Mohamed, did not want to talk to News24. He simply said that clothing had been stolen from his store.
South African car guard, Martin Thamaye said: ”It’s bad here. I saw the guys (looters) hitting the guys who were selling the clothes (foreigners). They then ran away because the foreigners hit the guys back.”
Thamaye said it took the police about five minutes to arrive once the looting started.
He said those foreigners who come to South Africa “without permission” should go home, but those “who didn’t do the wrong things” are just here to do business.
“Most of the people (here) don’t like the foreigners. They are complaining that they (foreigners) are taking their jobs”.
-news24