South Africa warns anti-immigration groups after killings

South African police have warned anti-immigration groups against taking the law into their own hands after two Mozambicans were killed in the first deaths linked to recent protests against undocumented migrants.

The two Mozambicans died in the coastal town of Mossel Bay following a small demonstration against illegal migrants on Friday. The Mozambique government said on Monday that five of its citizens had died in xenophobic attacks, but South Africa’s security coordination body again rejected that figure. Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili confirmed, however, that the two Mozambican deaths occurred during activities associated with anti-foreigner demonstrations.

The deaths are the first linked to a new wave of protests by fringe groups that accuse undocumented foreign nationals of crime and of taking jobs and resources from locals.

Mosikili said security forces would not allow any group to take the law into its own hands. “There is no grievance, concern, frustration or cause that can justify murder, assault, intimidation, arson, looting, xenophobic attacks or any other form of criminal conduct,” she said.

In recent anti-migrant protests, vigilantes have gone door‑to‑door telling foreign nationals to leave by June 30. Ghana and Nigeria have moved to repatriate their citizens, while Kenya, Lesotho and Zimbabwe have urged their citizens to exercise caution.

Mosikili said authorities had made scores of arrests for violence and intimidation of foreign nationals. More than 5,000 undocumented foreign nationals have been arrested in the past three weeks, and nearly 35,000 since January.

SOURCE: AFP