Police arrest 22 for xenophobic violence at De Doorns

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - Nov 20 2009 14:59

Twenty-two people were arrested on Thursday night at De Doorns in the Western Cape, police said on Friday.

They were allegedly involved in public violence during Tuesday's confrontations between locals and the foreign workers, station commissioner Superintendent Desmond van der Westhuizen said.

More than 3 000 people, mostly Zimbabweans, evacuated shacks in De Doorns when locals claimed they were robbing them of jobs on farms in the area. Another four people were arrested for allegedly stealing from the refugees' shacks.

The Home Affairs Department said Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma sent a delegation to De Doorns on Friday. The team, led by deputy director general Jackie Mckay, was part of a broader government intervention in the area, a statement read.

There was a "specific mandate to assess and assist those immigrants who lost their basic documentation during the protests this week".

The department said it would ensure any lost documents were replaced. -- Sapa

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