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One Mozambican murdered, many others injured in Thokoza xenophobic attacks, South Africa
3:26 CAT | 04 Aug 2020
Photo: Twitter / @SAPoliceService
A Mozambican immigrant died and at least 18 other Mozambicans were displaced by xenophobic violence in Thokoza, east of Johannesburg, one of the victims told Lusa on Monday.
“There was a Mozambican man who was killed; they burned everything they had, they took everything. The Mozambicans were left with nothing,” Mozambican immigrant David Machava told Lusa.
“He died the day before yesterday [Saturday], when they came here, beating people in Phola Park in Thokoza,” he explained.
David Machava, who has lived in South Africa since 1987 and fathered a family of eight children, said that most Mozambican immigrants affected by the recent wave of xenophobic violence reside in Phola Park, an area in the township of Thokoza, next to Katlehong.
“There are many Mozambicans […] there can be 18 Mozambicans, because there are many living here in Phola Park,” Machava said.
“I am also looking for a place. […] They asked for documents, they hit me point-blank. Another Mozambican left his house because they told him they were going to kill him. I am also looking for another place,” he declared.
“They turned over my car , which was parked there,” he said.
For his part, José Sobrinho, 37, a native of Chokwé in Gaza, southern Mozambique, told Lusa yesterday that his television repair business was destroyed in the attack.
“I have this TV repair shop, and they destroyed TVs belonging to my customers,” he said. “The situation is calmer today, but my customers’ TVs have been destroyed.”
Son of a Portuguese man who died when he was a child, José Sobrinho said that he opened the TV repair business in the Thokoza township in 2016, but emigrated to South Africa in 2007.
“I have four children. My wife is unwell because of a fall, and I am getting together money to send to her because she is hospitalised [in Mozambique],” he said, now looking to remake his life.
The xenophobic violence against Mozambican immigrants in Thokoza, Sobrinho said, broke out last week on Tuesday and only dissipated on Sunday after the intervention of the South African army and the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele.
Thokoza has been burning since Tuesday chasing out foreigners from the area pic.twitter.com/NZxymCy0Yb
— John Michaels🇿🇦 (@BeforeIf) July 30, 2020
“It was almost a week, because it started on Tuesday. On Friday and Saturday [the violence] got worse, with many Mozambicans affected. Yesterday [Sunday] the military appeared and Police Minister Bheki Cele was here, and then it stopped. The situation is still calm,” Sobrinho said.
Sobrinho said that those responsible, of the amaXhosa ethnic group, justified the violence against Mozambican immigrants and the vandalisation of their homes and stores on the grounds of a “lack of electricity” in the Tokoza neighbourhood, three weeks ago.
“But then they started saying that all foreigners have to leave the country, and started to enter stores and houses, removing things, furniture and the like, and burning everything. Just for being a foreigner and having a store, they burst in and destroy everything,” he complained.
Asked about the reasons for the recent wave of xenophobic violence, he said: “The problem is that we work here, we are in a ‘lockdown’ due to this pandemic, but we manage to put bread on the table. They do not do anything, just depend on the government, while we make a living. That’s the problem.”
The police station in Thokoza referred queries to South African Police Gauteng command, which has not yet responded.
#PoliceMinistry Minister of Police, Gen Bheki Cele visits Thokoza, Gauteng following #ProtestAction where businesses were looted and a number of people displaced. #SAPS, SANDF and EMPD will jointly ensure that order is restored in Phola Park, Thokoza, Reiger Park, Eden Park. NP pic.twitter.com/U10nx9JeRo
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) August 2, 2020
Last September, Ekurhuleni where the township of Thokoza is located, was one of the scenes of looting and xenophobic violence that forced some 1,500 African foreigners to leave South Africa.
At the time, about 800 people, mostly from Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe, sought refuge in local community centres in Katlehong, about 35 kilometres east of Johannesburg, the High Commissioner of the United Nations Office for Refugees said.
More than 11 people died and about 500 were detained by South African police during the wave of violence, with businesses, mostly owned by foreign immigrants in South Africa’s most populous province (Gauteng), looted and destroyed.
This tweet below, is self explanatory as to the xenophobic sentiment in South Africa. The voice commenting Jose Sorbrinho’s interview keeps saying “Hey, go back home” . The next one reads: “Let’s keep sanitizing our country”.
People of #Thokoza nginethulela isigqoko✊🏽you are true compatriots 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽#PutSouthAfricansFirst#15August2020#SouthAfricansAreStarving#ANCHatesSouthAfricans#FightBackForSouthAfrica#InfluxOfImmigrantsMustStop#SouthAfricansAreNotLazy#NormaliseHiringSACitizens#ANCMustFallpic.twitter.com/OtI3VsEYFK
— 🇿🇦🇿🇦SouthAfricaMyHome🇿🇦🇿🇦 (@pilzet) July 31, 2020
Let’s keep on sanitizing our country.
Thokoza☑️
Botshabelo☑️#PutSouthAfricansFirst #VoetsekEFF#VoetsekDA #VoetsekANC pic.twitter.com/1wPeVKtCoZ— Put South Africans First🇿🇦 (@Maps_pj) August 1, 2020
[UPDATE] Linda Mnisi unpacks Police Minister Bheki Cele’s visit to Phola Park in Thokoza. At least 276 law enforcement officers have been deployed in the area following numerous protests as well as attacks on foreign nationals over the past week.
Watch: https://t.co/h1JE1wrc92 pic.twitter.com/pckmeht1eL
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 2, 2020
Appreciation post for people of a Thokoza for fighting for their human rights.
Foreigners have destroyed our country.#PutSouthAfricansFirst #ZimbabweanLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/JEzm9DIPE2
— Commander_Cobra (@Commander_C007) August 2, 2020
Thokoza protests are ‘xenophobic attacks fuelled by poverty’, say community leaders https://t.co/DTjDwVhZm2
— The Citizen News (@TheCitizen_News) August 4, 2020
The community of Thokoza has been protesting over lack of electricity, it has been 2 months without electricity. The city had committed to restore power within 7 days. Minister Cele is pleading with the community not to burn down infrastructure as it is a criminal offense. pic.twitter.com/wdBgEbA2Gi
— GP Community Safety (@GP_CommSafety) August 2, 2020
Can Bheki Cele ‘s dept the @SAPoliceService interverne here, @City_Ekurhuleni Thokoza, phola park, foreign nationsal’s properties are being targeted, looted and burnt from last night, no police or SANDF presence on-site. pic.twitter.com/bCm0DqoJXm
— Arnold Jay (@AJMkansi) July 29, 2020
Source: Lusa
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