Foreigners fear for their lives
Pretoria CBD erupts in violent chaos
ANTI-foreigner marchers left a trail of destruction on their 15km march to the Pretoria CBD yesterday‚ tearing down makeshift shelters of pilgrims camping outside the Tshwane Events Centre along W F Nkomo street where a weekend-long church service is held.
A sea of about 1 000 people coming from the western direction and heading east towards the city centre also overturned trailers acting as mobile kitchens used by businesspeople to sell food to pilgrims.
“We were sitting minding our own business when we saw a large group of people heading towards us.
“We saw road signs flying as they approached so we ran away, leaving our belongings behind‚” said one of the pilgrims‚ Emmanuel Nkosi.
He said they watched from a distance as the mob destroyed their camping site‚ overturning the trailers and taking their bags as they chanted anti-immigrant songs.
The pilgrims‚ the majority of them Zimbabweans and Malawians‚ attend the service of Malawian Prophet Shepherd Bushiri.
“These people are being used by the devil to destroy the world. I ran for my life‚” Nkosi said.
Reymond Moyo‚ a Zimbabwean pilgrim‚ said he was too late to get away so he was grabbed by the throat and slapped before he was searched for valuables and told to go home or die.
“I was really scared. It was only when others pleaded with the group that they let me go. They took my cell phone and watch‚” he said.
The mob‚ some on foot while others rode in bakkies‚ cars and minibuses‚ proceeded to the CBD‚ attacking anyone trying to take a picture or video of them with a cell phone.
A teenager walking up Bosman street and listening to music on his cell phone through earphones felt the wrath of the mob.
“Are you taking pictures? You are full of nonsense‚” one of the marchers said as he accosted his frightened victim with a stick.
The youngster tried to run away but he was surrounded within seconds and thrown to the ground.
The marshals intervened and he was then left alone.
“Foreigners must go. Today is today. We will kill them‚” the group sang as they left the frightened young man.
Back in Atteridgeville‚ where marchers blocked all the main roads with burning tyres and rubble early in the morning‚ no establishment was opened for business.
A dark cloud of smoke hung over the Mshenguville informal settlement as the main road running through the settlement was littered with burning tyres.
“It was bad in the morning. It was really scary as now anybody who was not part of the march was becoming a target. They even uprooted trees and damaged highways’ side barriers‚” a resident said.
Police were on hand to prevent the group of protesters reaching a gathering of foreigners. Stun grenades were thrown and rubber bullets fired‚ TMG Multimedia reports.
Some of the foreigners sheltered behind residential fences as the mob approached them. While most were not armed‚ police found machetes in one of the cars. — TMG