By Anita Dangazele
- Four people were killed and hundreds injured as angry locals attacked immigrants in Valencia township after a local man was stabbed.
- Police and the Eastern Cape government are calling for calm as foreign nationals sleep in shelters and on the streets of Addo.
Foreigners in the farming town of Addo ran for their lives after angry mobs attacked them, set homes alight and burned tyres in the streets.
This came after a South African man was killed in a tavern in Valencia on Saturday night. Police say a foreign national is believed to be responsible.
By Sunday morning, the violence had exploded. Local residents chased immigrants from their homes, beat them, and forced many of them to sleep in bushes and roadside ditches. Some fled to the Addo Police Station for safety.
By Monday, four people had died and hundreds more were injured.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli said the area was still tense on Tuesday morning.
“There were groups burning tyres on the roads at about 6am, but police managed to deal with that,” he said.
“There is a strong police presence in the area, and other law enforcement agencies are assisting. Some foreign nationals have been moved to temporary shelters outside Addo.”
Nkohli said detectives are investigating several cases. “Once the investigation is complete, arrests will follow.”
Speaker of the Sundays River Valley Municipality Council, Siseko Nodonti, said tensions rise during citrus picking season, when the number of immigrants in the area increases.
“We were told that people in Valencia do not want foreigners anymore. But we say no to xenophobia. You cannot just chase someone out. There are laws,” he said.
Nodonti added that those without documents should be dealt with by the relevant departments, and called for those who fled to return home to Valencia.
The Eastern Cape government also called for calm.
Spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie said: “Government urges communities to fully cooperate with law enforcement officers to ensure that justice is served.
“The Eastern Cape has a proud history of diversity and inclusivity. The provincial government calls on residents to continue to foster an environment where all individuals, regardless of their origin, feel safe and valued.”
Pictured above: A tractor was burned down by locals on Monday.
Image source: Supplied
