Blood-covered woman screams after rock is thrown through her car window as she becomes the latest victim of rioting sparked by anti-immigrant protests
- Anti-immigrant protests have been ongoing in South Africa for two weeks and at least six people have been killed
- Carol Lloyd was injured after rocks were thrown at and smashed her car window as she drove near to Jeppestown
- Foreign nationals have been loading trucks with their wares as they flee Johannesburg and neighbouring towns
- Protesters are angry about foreigners in the country when unemployment is high and wealth isn’t distributed equally
So far six people are believed to have been killed in the violent protests which started two weeks ago in Durban, a key port on South Africa’s Indian Ocean coast, spreading to Johannesburg.
In the latest show of violence around 200 protesters, shouting that they wanted immigrants to leave the country, pelted passing vehicles and the police with rocks.
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Victim: Carol Lloyd was left injured and covered in blood after rocks were thrown at and shattered her car window in the latest wave of anti-immigrant protests near Johannesburg in South Africa
Armed: South African police were called in to help foreign nationals as violent protests spread to Johannesburg, threatening more killings
People run for cover from a stun grenade and tear gas after a skirmish between locals and foreign nationals in Durban, South Africa, today
A group of foreign nationals threaten to defend themselves as police get between them and South Africans after a peace march in Durban
Carol Lloyd was forced to stop her car as she drove close to Jeppestown after she was injured when a rock smashed through her car window.
South African police responded to the wave of protests, which are motivated by the large number of immigrants and high unemployment rates, by firing rubber bullets and tear gas today to disperse the crowds.
Protests began two weeks ago and six people have been killed, and dozens of foreign nationals have emptied their shops and fled over fears of attacks.
Violence flared days after Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini said in remarks reported by local media that foreigners should leave South Africa. He has since said his comments were misinterpreted.
Addressing parliament in Cape Town on Thursday, President Zuma reiterated his condemnation of the violence, calling it a ‘violation’ of South Africa’s values.
Ms Lloyd stopped her car near Jeppestown, close to Johannesburg, after her window was smashed (left) and she was left bloodied (right)
In Actonville, South African men were seen singing, armed with clubs and pieces of wood, as they called for foreign shop owners to leave
Police responded to the violence in South Africa by firing tear gas grenades as they began to enter men’s hostels to search for weapons
Raid: Anti-riot police today raided a hostel in Benonu where local residents are suspected have taken part in the large scale protests
Weapons: Police in Benoni have been looking for guns in the homes of protesters, who have been throwing rocks at trucks carrying supplies
‘No amount of frustration or anger can ever justify the attacks on foreign nationals and the looting of their shops,’ he said. ‘We condemn the violence in the strongest possible terms. The attacks violate all the values that South Africa embodies.’
He also said the government was taking steps to secure its porous borders and making progress in setting up a Border Management Agency, announced last year and scheduled to be up and running in 2016.
The ruling African National Congress party has condemned the attacks as ‘shameful’ and branded them ‘criminal acts against vulnerable people’.
In the past two weeks, shops and homes owned by Somalis, Ethiopians, Malawians and other immigrants in Durban and surrounding townships have been targeted, forcing families to flee to camps protected by armed guards.
Foreign nationals living near Johannesburg were today seen removing items from their shops and shutting up their stores because of fears they could be targeted by protesters.
Police entered mens hostels in Actonville in Johannesburg looking for weapons and are seen holding suspects at gunpoint today
A police officer is seen in the kitchen area of a men’s hostel in Benoni as officers work to calm protests and prevent more attacks
A man is searched by a police officer for weapons as fear intensifies in Johannesburg over the violence towards foreign nationals
The violence in South Africa has been condemned by leaders and officials as more foreigners are being forced to leave their stores and homes
Riot police, armed with guns, ammunition and wearing helmets have been clashing with protesters as they try to ensure safety
A child looks out from inside a deserted store in Germiston, near Johannesburg today after the immigrant owner removed his goods and left in fear of attack from local residents
Foreign nationals have been seen loading trucks with their goods as they flee Primrose, near Johannesburg to escape the violence
Shop owners fearing for their lives have been seen emptying their stores while armed police officers stand guard to protect them
Another officer is seen standing guard as locals empty their shops and officials struggle to contain the violence sweeping the country
They fled after a mobile phone text message was apparently sent to shop owners, warning them to shut their premises, claiming that ‘Zulu people are coming to town… to kill every foreigner on the road’.
In Primrose, near Germiston and about 15km out of Johannesburg, dozens of shops have been left empty and owners were seen transporting their wares on trucks today.
And in Durban, where many of the attacks began, thousands of people have been seen marching through the streets calling for an end to the violence.
Durban’s impoverished townships have been at the heart of the recent clashes between locals and immigrants, following a similar spate of attacks on foreign-owned shops in Soweto, near Johannesburg, earlier this year.
More than 1,000 foreigners in Durban have fled their homes and are now living in makeshift camps under police guard.
Hundreds of people took part in a peace march today after anti-immigrant violence flared in Durban. Meanwhile, foreigners fled their homes
Peace: Thousands of people have taken part in a peace march today, calling for an end to the violence against immigrants in South Africa
A woman holds a poaster while taking part in a peace march in Durban as the president calls for an end to the xenophobic violence
A peace march against xenophobia took place in Durban, South Africa today as foreigners fled their homes and businesses in fear
Foreign nationals clashed with a mob trying to loot their stores earlier this week as xenophonic attacks and violence erupted in Durban
Police have repeatedly clashed with protesters who are threatening violence, looting stores and setting fires in KwaMashu and Umlazi
Threatening: Streets have been destroyed by gangs of protesters keen to intimidate and scare immigrants to leave the country
Safe camps have been established in the coastal city of Durban for fleeing immigrants whose shops were looted and burned down.
The fear felt by many was palpable as dozens of foreigners sought refuge at a police station outside Johannesburg and stayed there overnight, according to police spokesman, Col. Lungelo Dlamini.
Patrick Gaspard, the US ambassador to South Africa who was born in Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Haitian parents, spoke in defence of the immigrants.
‘As an immigrant to my own country, my heart goes out to those who have been attacked for being different,’ Mr Gaspard said in a statement.
In a statement, Tina Ghelli, spokesman for the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said the Minister of International Relations, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, will on Friday meet with diplomats from several African countries to discuss the government’s efforts to protect immigrants.
The governments of Malawi and Zimbabwe have begun efforts to repatriate citizens affected by the attacks.
Fleeing: Foreign nationals loaded up trucks with their belongings and made their way out of Johannesburg, fearing more attacks
Shelves have been left bare in one shop in the village of Primrose near Johannesburg after foreigners fled their homes and businesses
A man carries bottles of drink that had been on sale in a store after foreign nationals decided to flee Primrose, fearing for their lives
Two men are pictured carrying a refrigerator as foreigners flee their homes and businesses as protesters make them fear for their lives
Foreign nationals living near Johannesburg were seen removing items from their shops and shutting up their stores because of fears they could be targeted by protesters
South Africa has a population of about 50 million, but an estimated five million immigrants and its high jobless rate, widespread poverty and glaring income disparities make it a ripe candidate for outbreaks of anti-immigrant violence.
Unemployment is officially around 25 percent but economists say in reality it is much higher.
Johannesburg was the epicentre of the 2008 xenophobic attacks that killed more than 60 people and saw violence spread through the area.
Refuge: Earlier this week foreign nationals, who were forced out of their homes, took refuge at camps in Isipingo in south Durban
Handouts: The foreigners, including children, were provided with food by the local community after they were threatened with violence
Fear spread throughout South Africa after people received text messages warning them they would be attacked or killed if they stayed
Mobs have been seen marching through the streets shouting as they call for foreign nationals to leave and clash with police officers
Dozens of areas have already been abandoned, like this store in KwaMashu, after foreign nationals shut up their shops and fled
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3041886/South-Africa-woman-latest-victim-rioting-sparked-anti-immigrant-protests.html#ixzz42Fgh0eCd
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