The South African Police Service has again been accused of standing by as about 40 foreign-owned businesses were attacked and looted in Schweizer-Reneke’s black township last week.
Three of the businesses in Ipelegeng were also burned as the Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Somali and Ethiopian traders, many of them lawful asylum-seekers, fled the township and went into hiding.
And, as with the attacks on Somali traders in the Cape townships, the resentment of South African businessmen toward foreign competition is seen as the root cause of the violence. The mob did not attack South African-owned businesses.
An ANC councillor in Ipelegeng, who asked not to be named, said older residents had incited township youths to mount attacks. At a funeral after the unrest, a prominent local businessman is said to have openly expressed relief that the ‘Bangladeshis†had been removed from the township.
Before the attacks took place, local police issued a warning to foreigners that they were imminent. Investigating Officer Constable Ruben Mogali said the shop-owners were advised to barricade their premises to prevent robberies.
But after the traders barricaded their shops and fled, the police apparently did nothing to protect their premises.
One victim told Wits University’s Forced Migration Studies Programme: ‘The police said: ‘close your shop and you can go to town, we will save your shop, we will save your stock’. But all our stock is gone.â€
The traders said police had made no contact with them since the violence began. Police also say they cannot guarantee the traders’ safety if they try to return to the township.
Said one ousted trader: ‘No-one has come to say ‘you can come back, we are going to be responsible for everything’.â€
Mogali said that if the police had known that organised mass attacks were planned, they would have mobilised forces earlier.
Police intervention was also hampered by the stone-throwing crowd and by lack of resources. Only after they received support from other police stations, including those in Vryburg, Amalia and Potchefstroom, were they able to gain control of the situation.
The police also did not receive support from community and political leaders, Mogali said.
Municipal officials planned meetings for last Thursday to hear public grievances. However, acting city manager Msosa Motlashuping said these were not held because conditions in the township were now back to normal.
The attacks began on Tuesday last week when a crowd of young township residents gathered at a local tavern, allegedly to plan action.
The mob used rocks and tyres to block streets leading to stores owned by non-nationals before looting them. Police regained control the next morning.
Paradoxically, many community members interviewed by the Wits research team said they valued the foreign-owned businesses, which tended to be conveniently located and offered goods at low cost. Said one: ‘I see no reason why they should be chased away.â€
The attacks in the North West town are the latest case of xenophobic violence in rural South Africa.
Earlier this year a mob targeted Somali businesses in the Eastern Cape township of Motherwell. There was strong evidence that the police had offered no protection to the foreigners, and that local government officials failed to mediate between perpetrators and victims.
The Schweizer-Reneke traders continue to plead for protection. Said one: ‘Ask your president and your government: please provide help for me — please provide help for foreigners.â€
Darshan Vigneswaran and Jean-Pierre Misago are researchers at the Forced Migration Studies Programme.