Under Siege: Foreigners Leaving Pretoria, as Looting Begins

Although most foreign shops owners started leaving their homes in Atteridgeville recently, the situation is still calm. This was after ch...

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Although most foreign shops owners started leaving their homes in Atteridgeville recently, the situation is still calm.

This was after chaos erupted in the Tshwane kasi on Monday night when residents stormed foreign owned shops and looted them. The looting happened after cars and two houses belonging to foreigners were torched in Pretoria West, not far from Atteridgeville, on Saturday.

A resident of Atteridgeville said they would not sit back and watch the people of Pretoria West do a better job than them. “Our neighbours dealt with foreigners doing illegal things and we are dealing with those who have killed our spazas,” said the resident.

Violence in South Africa

“Our people are unemployed because they take all the jobs. When our people open spaza shops, the foreigners come in and do the same thing.” Spaza shop owner Abdul Abdula (29) said he had lost everything. “These were not people who wanted to open businesses. If they were, they would have told us to leave rather than stolen our money and goods.” He said he was planning to leave South Africa.

“First it was Westonaria, then Pretoria West and now Atteridgeville. Soon it will be the whole country. We have no choice but to leave,” Abdul said. Police spokesman Captain Bonginkosi Msimango said 30 shops were looted but the situation was under control.

“The looting started in Atteridgeville and spread to neighbouring Lotus Gardens. We don’t know why this happened,” Msimango said. Meanwhile, foreigners who own spazas in Mamelodi locked up their businesses yesterday.

They fear they might be attacked during the march against illegal immigrants planned by Mamelodi Concerned Residents for Service Delivery on Friday. However, president of the organisation, Oupa Mtsweni, promised the march will be peacef. - Daily Sun

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