Germiston — Government is to deploy specialised units to those areas in Johannesburg where attacks on foreign nationals have erupted, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said on Tuesday.
The minister visited the Primrose Police Station on the East Rand along with Minister for Correctional Services Ngconde Balfour, Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Firoz Cachalia, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Acting National Police Commissioner Tim Williams, Minister for Intelligence Services Ronnie Kasrils, Deputy Minister for Safety and Security, Susan Shabangu and Gauteng Health MEC Brian Hlongwa among others.
Addressing a 3 000-strong crowd of displaced immigrants, the minister said police would deal with xenophobia-related attacks in a tough and precise manner.
"We are going hard on the situation," Mr Nqakula said, adding that no person, regardless of were they come from should be violated.
"We will put every measure in place to protect you. Our law enforcement agencies are in place. We will make sure that the violence does not spread to other areas."
The foreigners and some South Africans were evicted from the shacks and houses by angry mobs after violence broke out in Alexandra more than a week ago.
The have since been camping outside police stations, community halls and shelters.
The violence has left 23 dead, hundreds injured and 10 000 more displaced. Local residents are blaming foreigners for taking the few available jobs and perpetrating crime.
Michael Atombo from Zimbabwe, who has been in South Africa for two years, told BuaNews that since the attacks started he has been without shelter.
"I came to South Africa to make an honest living, but all that I have worked for over the years has now been destroyed."
He said he was dependant on neighbours and churches in the area for food, but that it was not enough.
Mr Atombo added that he was too scared to walk more than 2km from the police station because of the dangerous situation in the area.
Minister Nqakula said the number of police would be increased and there would be visible police patrols in areas hit by attacks.
The Home Affairs Minister said the attacks were damaging South Africa's image.
"The images have damaged South Africa's image and reputation, taking into account what we have achieved since 1994," said Ms Maphisa-Nqakula
What South Africans fail to understand is that at one stage we were once immigrants in their countries during the apartheid times," she said, adding that now we had to help them in their time of desperation.
The minister announced that an urgent meeting with representatives of the displaced nationals from their countries, government officials and the Department of Foreign Affairs is scheduled to discuss how best to accommodate the nationals on Wednesday.
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It is really sad to experience another mass murder in the world. It's my hope that the world will one day wake up and solve problems by a means other than violence.
I have been to South Africa some five years back. johanesburg is the one place on earth that i have been afraid for my life, for every second of the one week i stayed there.
I wondered what the police are doing. It is a crime state and nothing seems to be done. My wonder of what the police are doing however didn't last long since i came to realise in a bad awakening that the police apparatus is itself amass with corruption. I have a case to throw this allegation. At the airport terminal me and my 3 other friends traveling with me were approached by a guy at the airport for a bribe which we declined.
However the guy came with a sceurity guy and forced us in tomthrowing some money, even demanding tha tit be in USD.
The question that always comes to me is Why are theey not controlling the situation in Johanesburg? Why would a party, ANC, that had fought an aparthied state amid various challanges failed to cleasnse the city from crime? This questions always lingers in my mind.
I think the Ethiopian case could be a good example. During the Derg regime there were mobs everywhere, raping women, terrorizing the adult, fighting in groups ...this situation was controled after the current government set up a police force called the Federal Police? And now ethiopian live in peace with regards to saftey in the streets, homes and business areas.Can't the South African government share something from its Ethiopian counterparts?
Ya I agrre with you.Myself I can never live in south Africa again. I have a friend who lived there,she was stopped in the street by a man claiming to be a police.He asked her an identity, after 30 seconds 4 mans came after her following her with knives and broken bottles.Only God know what they wanted to do.Luckilly she ran praying that they dont catch her.And the supposed police man didnt do nothing he just looked even aggreing.im sure he was not even a police man. I know a man who went to south africa for medical treatment.He used to suffer from liver prblems.oNE DAY HE WENT TO THE TOWN TO BUY SOME VEGETABLES. A GANG OF YOUNG MANS CAME AND HIT HIM with a wood on the rightside of his face so violently.today this man lost his right eye.amounting to the sad situation of his health. My friends uncle was arrested by force into a car of strangers(criminals)they took him and he never came back. I personnally know an angolan man who disappeared on his way to work,he never came back. The south african government must do something.