XENOPHOBIC UPDATE: South African Authorities Arrest 11 Men Over Xenophobic Attacks

South African authorities have arrested 11 men in Johannesburg suspected of involvement in violence against immigrants.


The men were held during a joint raid by the police and army on a Johannesburg hostel on Wednesday.


A wave of anti-immigrant violence that started in KwaZulu Natal province close to three weeks ago has so far claimed seven lives in trouble spots in Durban and Johannesburg.

On Tuesday, the government deployed defence forces, as it attempts to quell the attacks.

The government had vowed to crack down strongly on the unrest, but the decision to put soldiers on the streets came after two nights of relative quiet in both cities.

South Africa’s defence minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, said the decision was the last resort in attempts to quell the anti-immigrants attacks.

“We come in as the last resort, the army will serve as a deterrent against the crimethat we see,” Mapisa-Nqakula told reporters, declining to give details on how manytroops would be involved.

“There are people who will be critical but those who are vulnerable will appreciate thisdecision,” she said.

There Anti-immigrant protests were said to have been fuelled by a comment by South Africa’s influential Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini, which has been described as anti-immigrant.

On Monday, the Zulu King, in a speech aimed at suppressing the attacks, described the anti-immigrant attacks as “vile”.

The Zulu King addressed a traditional gathering called Imbizo at the Moses Mabhida Football Stadium in Durban. The meeting was schedule days ago, as one of the strategies that the South African government is exploring to end wave of attacks.

“We need to make sure no more foreigners are attacked. We must stop these vile acts,” Zwelithini told thousands of supporters at the stadium.