Kenya cautions her citizens against xenophobic attacks in South Africa

By; Jjunju Francis

04^th September 2019

Kenya is the first East African Country to come out and show concern over the xenophobic attacks in South Africa where some of their citizens have been victims of the attacks that has so far claimed five lives mostly foreign business owners.

Kenyan High Commissioner to South Africa Jean Kamau has confirmed that several Kenyans had been attacked in Gauteng Province and urged those running enterprises in the troubled regions to cooperate with the police and report all incidents.

South African police have arrested 189 people following several days of fresh xenophobic violence in Pretoria and Johannesburg in Gauteng as well as in other cities.

Sporadic violence against foreign-owned stores and enterprises has a long history in South Africa, where many locals blame immigrants for high unemployment.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a video address broadcast on Twitter, said the attacks are “something totally unacceptable and cannot be allowed to happen in South Africa.”

Nigeria has summoned its South African ambassador to express “displeasure over the treatment of her citizens” and said it would dispatch a special envoy.

Zambia has cancelled an international friendly football match which was slated for Lusaka next weekend against South Africa.

African Union Commission chairperson Moussa Faki condemned the violence “in the strongest terms” but said he was encouraged “by arrests already made by the South African authorities”.