25 July 2010, 12:00 p.m.

No further xenophobic violence in South Africa – as the ANC remains in denial 

South African police were taking no chances in the Kya Sands informal settlement this weekend and said that they will remain there to make sure that there are no more xenophobic attacks. 

 The area has been the scene of violence against foreigners earlier in the week and the army was called in to assist the police in maintaining law and order and carry out special anti-crime operations.

Twelve people have been arrested. 

 

Police to stay in Kya Sands

Eyewitness News reports that the police’s Govindsamy Mariemuthoo said officers will stay in the area for now. “We have deployed police personnel to patrol the area and maintain law and order. We have done this the whole week and continue to have a police presence until stability returns to the area,” he said.

 

Earlier in the week Human Rights Commission chairperson Lawrence Mushwana told the South African parliament that evidence gathered by the commission points to competition for jobs and housing being a cause of xenophobic attacks in South Africa. The HRC also recommended that special xenophobia courts were set up to deal with these crimes.

 

No new incidents of xenophobia were reported after a flare up of violence earlier in the week and last weekend. 

 

A serious threat

Meanwhile the Mozambican government described the threat of Xenophobia in South Africa as a “serious one”. The Mozambican Foreign Affairs Minister Oldemiro Baloi told the Noticias newspaper that people are “being moved” from high risk areas.

 

Speaking at a Southern African Development Community summit, Baloi said even though there had been a few incidents recently, they are not alarmed: “As regards Mozambique, the information that reached us from South Africa is that up to now there have not been significant acts of xenophobia.” 

 

Nothing but “exaggeration and sensationalism”

The Times reported this morning that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) says the possibility of xenophobic attacks were nothing but "exaggeration and sensationalism". 

 

Zimbabwe says attacks ongoing

The Zimbabwean Newspaper this morning, however, persisted that the attacks were ongoing and lambasted the South African government for not acting.

 

Meanwhile The Southern Times newspaper reported that the SADC was worried about the situation. 

 

Malawians say situation “tense”

The paper’s correspondents in Malawi interviewed foreigners returning home sayint that the situation in South Africa was “tense”. 

 

No xenophobia against Zambians

The paper reported that no incidents of xenophobia has reached the Zambian government.