JOHANNESBURG: South African President Jacob Zuma cancelled a state visit to Indonesia on Saturday as officials scrambled to respond to deadly xenophobic violence, with scores of new arrests made in Johannesburg.

A foreigner was killed in Johannesburg, where violence erupted earlier this week, following unrest in the eastern port city of Durban, police said. However, they refused to say whether the killing was directly linked to the anti-foreigner attacks that have already claimed at least six lives.

“(I) can confirm that a case of murder is being opened and police will be investigating circumstances of his death,” police spokesman Lungelo Dlamini said, adding investigations continue to determine whether “the incident is related to threats of foreign nationals”. In addition to the fatalities, the unrest has forced more than 5,000 foreigners to seek refuge in makeshift camps.

“We reiterate our message that there can be no justification for the attacks on foreign nationals. These attacks go against everything we believe in,” Zuma said, announcing that he would scrap his Indonesia trip “to attend to matters at home relating to the attacks on foreign nationals”. The decision came amid growing alarm within South Africa — and from the United Nations and foreign capitals — over the attacks.

Neighbouring Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique have announced plans to evacuate their citizens.

Reflecting international concern, the United Nations High Commis­sioner for Refugees noted most victims targeted “are refugees and asylum seekers who were forced to leave their countries due to war and persecution”.Saturday’s violence was focused in Alexandra, an impoverished township north of Johannesburg, where police fired rubber bullets to disperse the looters. “More than 30 people were arrested last night. At this stage the situation is calm but we plan to increase our deployment,” police spokesman Dlamini said.

“They are going to be charged for public violence, malicious damage to property, house breaking and theft,” he said.

The violence has been largely blamed on a speech last month by King Goodwill Zwelithini, traditional leader of the Zulus, in which he blamed foreigners for South Africa’s high crime rate and said they must “take their bags and go”.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2015

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