Xenophobic attacks escalate in South Africa

The renewed onslaught on Nigerians and other immigrants resident in South Africa escalated yesterday with the South African Police authorities insisting that the situation in Pretoria was ‘under control’ despite the arrest of 136 people.
The clarification came as the Police and people marching against immigrants were locked in a tense standoff in the Pretoria CBD yesterday morning, with stun grenades going off near the Department of Home Affairs building.
But confirming that the situation was under control, South Africa’s Acting National Commander of SAPS, Lt. Gen. Phahlane, said SAPS have arrested 136 people.
Though a police helicopter hovered overhead and public order police officers weaved through the large crowd, reportes, however, revealed that at one point, the group tried to push past the police with many in the crowd carrying sticks, rods and other items. One man told journalists that: “The foreigners have real guns.
They are selling drugs and involved in prostitution and the municipality is helping them. They must leave.” The man’s account, however, came as some foreign nationals faced the group, shouting at them.
In his comment, the Democratic Alliance leader, Mmusi Maimane, said South Africans should blame the government for lack of jobs, and not other Africans living in the country. While the anti-immigration protests erupted in South Africa yesterday, policemen were deployed in key cities while Nigerian Consulate released emergency hotlines.
On his part, President Jacob Zuma condemned the latest wave of xenophobic unrest, saying there had been “threats of violence and acts of intimidation and destruction of property directed at non-nationals”.
“Residents in some communities blame non-nationals for the escalating crimes especially drug trafficking,” the presidency said in a statement yesterday.

In Abuja, the Nigeria Police Force yesterday beefed up security on the premises of MTN and Shoprite in Abuja.
The security build up was effected even as the MTN office located on Madeira Street, off Shehu Shagari Way was placed under lock and key.
When Saturday Telegraph visited the area, a detachment of anti-riot policemen we’re on guard alongside the men of a private security company that usually provided security at the premises of the telecommunication firm.
Apart from the armed policemen keeping watch under a tree a few meters from the gate, there were others during inside a police truck stationed by the road intersection.
Not far from the truck was a blue coloured police patrol van with the emblem of the mobile police unit crested on its sides.
Although inside the premises of the telecommunication firm was like a ghost yard, the small scale retailers of MTN products and technicians who usually click around the vicinity were seen making brisk business.
On sighting Saturday Telegraph crew, one of these retailers rushed to us to seek patronage after announcing that the employees of MTN were on a forced holiday. ” If na MTN people you dey look for, dem no dey today.
They close down because of the protest here yesterday when some people enter inside to cause trouble,” he said. A source in the company told Saturday Telegraph that the management of MTN directed its staff to keep off from the office because of the experience they had when some protesters stormed their office on Thursday and ransacked it.
“At first we thought it was a peaceful protest but it soon turned violent as some hoodlums took over, stealing phone and laptops.
It might not have been the intention of the leaders of NANS to make it violent but it turned out to be so because you can’t guarrantee the behaviour of everybody in such a mass protest,” he said.
At the Shoprite sales outlets located in Jabi and Silverbird Galleria, shopping went on smoothly.
A long queue was noticed at the entrace to the Shoprite superstore near the Yar Adua Centre and the private security men in uniform checked the booths of cars to ensure they were not carrying anything harmful like explosives.
At the Jabi Lake Mall, the atmosphere was calm and the usual security check were observed as shoppets drove in and out of thr premisrs. “What we did was to fortify our security by asking the Police to send us some men because of the threat issues by those protesters.
We have our private security guards but we don’t want to take chances. “But we did it in such a way that we do not scare away our customers.
So even when you drive into the premises, you will not notice the presence of the police because they are in mufti and embeded in our internal security system,” our source said.
MTN tightens security in Owerri
But in the wake of the reprisal that happened in Abuja Thursday, it was learnt that (MTN) may have passed down instructions to its of-fices to tighten their security to forestall any attack on their facilities.
The security measures adopted in Owerri by the telecom giant may not be too conspicuous but a regular visitor to their Wetheral Road office, will notice that a Police patrol van is now positioned at the junction just before the MTN office and a security man stands directly in front of the entry door blocking off entry except for screened customers.
The scenario was calm but there was a studied vigilance that could be felt more than seen. For Shoprite, there was no indication of any change in the scenario as the property it occupies, Owerri Mall, is not Shoprite’s property as it houses more than 10 other businesses.
No attack in Enugu
Following attack targeted at immigrants, particularly Nigerians in South Africa the atmosphere was calm in Enugu. In some of the companies visited, normal business activities went on.
At the MTN’s office on Zik’s Avenue, customers were seen going in and out and doing their transactions. Also at Ogui Road and Okpara Avenue, where these companies have their major offices, the outlets opened for business as customers came out in large numbers doing one transaction or the other.
Saturday Telegraph also visited the Shoprite located along Enugu-Abakaliki Road, people were seen in the area for buying and selling. Some of the workers employed by these films who spoke to Saturday Telegraph, expressed dismay over the development.
Calm in Aba
Despite the attack on Nigerians and their business in South Africa, both DStv and MTN operated without molestation in Aba, Abia State yesterday.
At St. Michaels Road head office of DStv, there was no presence of security operatives and customers were seen transacting business with ease in the company. The security presence at the company was the private security network.
One of the customers of DSTV, Mr. Okey Ibe, who spoke to our correspondent, said there was no need for reprisal. He said: “We are the big brothers and we will continue to show other banana republics that we are the light of Africa”.
Another customer, Ikechi Okwo, said: “It is quite surprising that South Africans will pay us in this coin.” Also at the Magaret Avenue of MTN, work was going on smoothly.
There was no presence of security operatives except private men that were unarmed even though none of the staff agreed to speak to our reporter. Mr. Livinus Okeke who also came to transact business at the office said there was enough troubles to contain in the country and we cannot afford to plunge the country into more trouble by attacking South African businesses in the country.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Leye Oyebade, in a telephone interview with Saturday Telegraph, assured residents that the command was alive to its responsibilities.
He said: “Our people are matured and will not join issues with some South Africans that took laws into their hands”, adding that all businesses belonging to South Africans in the state are safe.