Foreigners live in fear in Pretoria

Foreigner-owned tuck shops shut yesterday as fear of xenophobic attacks gripped parts of Pretoria after several businesses were looted on Monday night.

Residents torched two houses occupied by Nigerians to stop alleged drug dealing and prostitution in Pretoria West on Saturday.

Resident Gavin Emmanuel said a group of young men attacked a shop on the corners of Maunde and Tau streets.

“We heard several gunshots, but it is alleged it was shop owners trying to scare the looters away. The owners then fled the scene and the group used crowbars and pick axes to force their way into a shop.”

Fridges, freezers and goods were looted before the group moved on to another store on Maunde Street. Emmanuel said the group was accusing foreign nationals of taking their jobs.

“The same thing happened around Atteridgeville. It spread very quickly. A police Nyala and a [Toyota] Quantum came to disperse the crowd but as soon as the police left, the group continued to loot. This lasted until after midnight, when it started to rain,” said Emmanuel.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said the looting spread to Lotus Gardens, where shops were completely emptied. She said residents in Mamelodi also attempted to loot a shop, but walked away empty-handed.

“Approximately 20 shops were attacked and looted in Atteridgeville, Lotus Gardens and one in Mamelodi, but nothing was taken from there.

“There are also allegations that these shops belong to foreign nationals and are used for drug dealing and prostitution.”

Peters said no arrests were made as the shop owners had not reported the incidents to police.

Calm was restored after the public order policing unit was monitoring the area.

“Once a case is opened, we can establish who the shop owners are and the extent of the damage caused,” said Peters. “We encourage foreign nationals to immediately report any attacks or looting.”

A new antiforeigners party, The South African First Party, and Mamelodi Concerned Residents are gearing up for a march to the Union Buildings on Friday to protest against the presence of foreign nationals in the country.

Mamelodi Concerned Residents spokesperson Makgoka Lekganyane said they were “tired of being slaves” in their own country.

“Zimbabweans, Nigerians, Pakistanis and other foreigners are not our countrymen and they bring nothing but destruction,” said Lekganyane earlier this week.

They hijack our buildings, sell drugs, inject young South African women with drugs and sell them as prostitutes.”