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Soweto attacks "xenophobic" Amanda Watson, The Citizen, Johannesburg, 22 January 2015 The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation has weighed in on the ongoing violence in Soweto, calling the attacks "xenophobic". "The attacks form a pattern similar to that which preceded the 2008 xenophobic violence that engulfed many parts of South Africa," Foundation Director Neeshan Balton said in a statement on Thursday evening. "We consider these attacks to be xenophobic and condemn them as such." Police have had running battles with youngsters looting and destroying shops owned by foreigners since Monday night. More than 80 shops owned by Somali, Pakistani and Malawian nationals have been destroyed. In a press briefing on Thursday, Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant - General Lesetja Mothiba and MEC for Community Safety Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane denied the attacks which have left at least two people dead were xenophobic. Instead they have blamed criminal elements within the community for the violence. No South African businesses have been targeted. "We urge all community leaders to rally residents around the ideals upon which our Constitution and democracy is founded. There should be a fundamental respect for human life and property, without discrimination," Balton said. Police have made 68 arrests since the start of the violence, and recovered eight firearms, one from a looter and seven from shop keepers. "..lawlessness, coupled with xenophobia, results in a toxic situation that would require more than just policing. "We would welcome the intervention of civil society and government structures to prevent the situation from spiraling entirely out of control, and to assist in resolving underlying issues," said Balton. From: http://citizen.co.za/312616/soweto-attacks-xenophobic/ -- -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "YCLSA Discussion Forum" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
