Police were monitoring the situation in Alexandra on Monday following a suspected xenophobic attack that left two people dead and 40 injured, Gauteng police said.
Constable Neria Malefetse said security had been tightened and units, including the public-order police unit, were helping to monitor the situation.
An angry mob shot dead two people and injured at least 40 in suspected xenophobic attacks in Alexandra township over the weekend.
”They threw stones at these people, shot at them, whipped some of them with sjamboks and robbed them,” said Inspector Moses Maphakela.
”The residents of Alexandra say they don’t want any more illegal immigrants. They say the foreigners rob them on the street when they go to work and when they return from work.”
Maphakela said the foreigners were attacked in their houses on Sunday night in Alexandra and neighbouring Kew.
Constable Neria Malefetse said the police later discovered that one of the men who was shot dead was a South African.
”We are not sure why he was targeted,” she said.
She could not specify the nationality of the other victims but said most foreigners living in Alexandra were from Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Twelve people have been arrested and face charges of murder, attempted murder, public violence and theft.
About 500 police officers have been deployed in the area to monitor the situation, which was quiet on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Young Communist League (YCL) condemned the violence.
The DA said two of its councillors reported that a large contingent of police were deployed and that they were protecting some of the injured people on their way to the police station to lay charges.
The political party said traders and hawkers in First and Second avenues closed their shops for fear of more violence.
The YCL described the attacks as ”despicable”.
”These despicable xenophobic attacks are undermining international struggles and solidarity, which is a cornerstone of our hard-won freedom and democracy. We believe these actions have no credence and role in our society,” it said in a statement. — Sapa