A mix of thuggery and xenophobia
Analysis by Milton Nkosi, BBC News, Johannesburg The looting of foreign-owned shops in South Africa is becoming a daily occurrence and there is no sign of it stopping soon. Many people have been asking why black South Africans are attacking other Africans. There is no easy answer to this, but it does seem like a combination of straightforward thuggery and xenophobia. It is important to see these events within its context. South Africa is home to many immigrants who never get attacked and there are many South Africans who get caught up in the senseless violence as well. But the unrest here is largely an immigration issue. The unemployment rate in South Africa is nearly 28% and this places huge pressure on the lower end of the social ladder. "We've stabilised the situation and arrested a few dozen people already," police spokesman Wayne Minaar told Reuters news agency on Monday. "We can't confirm the final figure right now but they will be charged for public violence," he said. "There's also a charge of attempted murder being investigated." Two men take a vending machine from a shop during the unrest on Monday The violence comes just days after similar unrest was seen in the capital, Pretoria. There were clashes between police and rioters, and foreign-owned shops were reportedly looted and destroyed.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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