JOHANNESBURG, May 12: A mob attacked a group of immigrants with stones, whips and guns in a South African township, killing two people and injuring about 40, police said on Monday.

Twelve people were arrested in connection with the violence in Alexandra township outside Johannesburg late on Sunday, which police said was motivated by a belief that illegal immigrants were responsible for a series of robberies.

“From what we were told it is because of the criminal activity that has been taking place,” said Constable Neria Malefetse, a spokeswoman for the Johannesburg police.

The rampage rekindled fears that xenophobia was rising in a country known as one of the most welcoming to immigrants and asylum seekers, especially from Africa. Some of those who were attacked were Zimbabweans, the largest immigrant group in South Africa who are often accused by residents of contributing to the country’s high crime rate.

Last month, shacks belonging to Zimbabwean families in another township were looted and set on fire and there have been other attacks on foreigners throughout the country.

For decades Africans have flocked to South Africa, the continent’s economic powerhouse, lured by abundant work in its mines, farms and homes and by one of the world’s most liberal immigration and refugee policies.—Reuters

Editorial

A hasty retreat
28 Nov, 2024

A hasty retreat

POLITICAL immaturity has cost the PTI dearly once again. It appears things may not have come to this had Bushra ...
Lebanon truce
28 Nov, 2024

Lebanon truce

WILL it hold? That is the question many in the Middle East and beyond will be asking after a 60-day ceasefire ...
MDR anomaly removed
28 Nov, 2024

MDR anomaly removed

THE State Bank’s decision to remove its minimum deposit rate requirement for conventional banks on deposits from...
Islamabad march
Updated 27 Nov, 2024

Islamabad march

WITH emotions running high, chaos closes in. As these words were being written, rumours and speculation were all...
Policing the internet
27 Nov, 2024

Policing the internet

IT is chilling to witness how Pakistan — a nation that embraced the freedoms of modern democracy, and the tech ...
Correcting sports priorities
27 Nov, 2024

Correcting sports priorities

IT has been a lingering battle that has cast a shadow over sports in Pakistan: who are the national sports...