- Foreign nationals were brutally beaten by men after men attacked a woman during a local mass cleansing protest in Durban on Tuesday.
- Police chief Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said he would meet protest leaders to discuss the matter and find a way forward.
Many businesses in Durban owned by foreign nationals have closed. Shops providing employment to immigrants have also been closed.
The closure followed two days of protests on Monday and Tuesday this week. Locals described the protests as a mass cleansing against illegal immigrants.
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Many businesses remained closed in different parts of the city from Monday.
The situation turned violent on Tuesday. Some foreign nationals were beaten badly by the people in the city. This happened when a group of men attacked a woman. She was a member of the protest. People believed that the people who attacked them were foreign nationals living in Durban.
The protest group is called March and March. Their leader, Jacinta Ngobse-Zuma, questioned foreign-owned businesses in the city.
He said that most of these businesses are just to hide dirty deeds.
He said, “Look at the vehicles they are driving and then compare them with the businesses they are running. It shows that these people are selling drugs that are killing our youth.”
Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi is the Police Commissioner. He spoke to journalists during the police race in Durban.
Mkhwanazi said people are not allowed to follow foreign nationals without checking their documents.
He said that the documents are examined by skilled people who are trained to do so.
He said he would arrange a meeting with the march and march leaders to discuss the matter and find a way forward.