Shops owned by foreign nationals in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), have been torched by a mob of rioters.
Watch: Durban mob targets foreign nationals
Footage of the scenes in the city’s central business district has gone viral on social media. In it, plumes of smoke were seen permeating from a shopping district said to largely occupied by foreign nationals.
#Unrest Situation in Durban CBD. Foreign owned shops being burned and looted. @SAPoliceService @News24 @eNCA @MARIUSBROODRYK pic.twitter.com/UNxi4NqyfI
— BOSBEER.COM (@BOSBEER2006) March 8, 2021
Why are foreign nationals being targeted?
According to police officials who submitted a statement to News24, the xenophobic attacks on foreign-owned shops were allegedly orchestrated by members of the ANC’s military wing, uMkhonto WeSizwe (MKMVA).
“They allegedly attacked them and there was retaliation which resulted in some injuries, but the police managed to stabilise the situation. The fire department was also there because some of the shops were petrol bombed,” spokesperson Superintendent Zama Dlamini noted in a statement.
At this time, the extent of the damage inflicted on the foreign-owned stores is unknown. From what we understand, there have been no reported fatalities in the violent clashes.
Police have kept a heavy presence in the area, in case the rioters return to finish off what they started.
This is the second time this year MKMVA has been accused of orchestrating an attack on foreign-owned businesses in Durban.
The ANC’s military wing has yet to claim responsibility for the attacks. However, it’s widely believed that their grievances have something to do with the group’s demand for KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala to ostracise foreign nationals from the economy.
Much of this is found in MKMVA representative Dumisani Thango who, after January’s attacks on businesses in the same area, was quoted as saying:
“We want the government to ban the employment of foreign nationals and give them grants, giving them RDP houses, you understand,”
This is a developing story.