It’s just another sunny afternoon in Alex, and foreigners are taking the opportunity to salvage what is left of their possessions. When the sun goes down, they’ll need to be back in their tents behind the palisade fence of the parking lot of the Alexandra police station, which has been turned into a tent city.
Johannesburg townships Alexandra and Diepsloot were tense on Thursday morning in the wake of xenophobic violence that has killed a number of people since the weekend, police said. Captain Louise Reed said one man was injured in a suspected mob attack in Diepsloot on Wednesday evening.
Calm returned to Alexandra township on Wednesday night after earlier clashes between police and residents. Hardly any activity was visible late in the night, besides the flashing blue lights of police patrol vehicles. The stand-off between the police and residents arose in the aftermath of xenophobic attacks in the township this week.
”I want to go home.” This is the appeal of a Zimbabwean woman who fought to prevent her little sister from being raped during xenophobic attacks on Monday night. Willet Sibanda, who also has an eight-year-old daughter, received blankets and clothes at the Alexandra police station on Tuesday afternoon.