South Africans Chased Out of Mozambique
AFRICAN COUNTRIES REACT
Violence has broken out in Mozambique, forcing South Africans to leave the neighbouring country in a hurry, while trucks exporting goods have been grounded.
Truck driver John Mashiloane, who works for Ngululu Carriers told reporters that he was forced to return to South Africa after the truck he was driving was stoned a short distance from the border town of Ressano Garcia.
"I’m back in South Africa, we have parked our trucks in Komatipoort. When we went into Mozambique in the morning, we saw that traffic was clear and thought it was fine, but just 4km into Mozambique near the Muamba Toll Gate, we found a mob of about 300 people in bakkies who started pelting our trucks with stones and telling us that we are killing their brothers and sisters so we deserve to die too," said Mashiloane.
Ngululu’s operational manager, Jay Luvhani, said that their trucking business had come to a standstill.
“Our employees are hiding at various police stations. We had to call back our drivers who were just getting into Mozambique. Some trucks have been pelted with stones, but there's not much damage; we just fear for their lives.
“In the early hours of the day, our drivers in the harbour were attacked and police had to intervene and they have since secured our trucks. We are looking forward to the situation being calm. But as we speak, it's not business as usual in Mozambique due to the retaliation of the Mozambicans over the xenophobic attacks in South Africa,” Luvhani said.
Mozambican national Sabelo Benito, who works at the Fish Market in Maputo, said he and his colleagues had received an SMS saying they should not travel to Mbombela because it was too dangerous.
“We got this SMS from some people around; it’s circulating and they are saying it’s very dangerous to travel to Mbombela as South Africans are killing our brothers and sisters. They said we must also retaliate and hurt them. This is not good for us here because our visitors are now scared. Some have since said they are going back to South Africa,” said Benito.
AFRICA REACTS
Mean while, the upsurge in xenophobic violence in South Africa that started in the port city of Durban a few weeks ago has angered African countries, many of whose citizens have been targeted.
ZAMBIA: Music blackout and boycott
Zambia's biggest private radio station Q FM has announced on its Facebook page that it has "indefinitely blacked out the playing of South African music in protest against xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals taking place in that country".
"We need to send a clear message to South Africans that violence on fellow Africans negates African unity which the forefathers of the continent fought for," the station said.
MALAWI: Goods boycott call
There have been calls for people to stop buying South African goods and services, spearheaded by John Kapito, executive director of the Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA).
"We're urging Malawians to boycott all South African shops and goods," he told the BBC.
"We're giving them one week to close their shops. On Friday next week we will physically close all South African shops like Shoprite and Game, if they don't close on their own. If they don't want us in their country, we don't want their goods here too."
Billy Mayaya, an activist in the capital, Lilongwe, has said that there are street demonstration planned next Tuesday, where protesters will deliver a petition to the South African High Commission - two days after the government plans to begin the repatriation of some of its citizens from South Africa.
ZIMBABWE: Protest and artist boycott calls
Riot police in the capital, Harare, dispersed a crowd of protesters outside the South African embassy after they tried to force open the gates.
They were singing the South African national anthem Nkosi Sikelela' iAfrica (God Bless Africa) and the deputy ambassador eventually came out to receive their petition.
Hashtags about xenophobia are trending - and the BBC's Brian Hungwe in Harare says there are some messages going around on WhatsApp encouraging people to boycott South African acts at the upcoming Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa), which runs from 28 April to 2 May - but no artists have cancelled.
Zimbabwe's state-owned Chronicle reports that repatriation documents for 1,000 Zimbabweans in Durban have been arranged and the evacuation will begin on Sunday.
NIGERIA: MPs debate action
Lawmakers in the lower house passed a motion on Thursday to recall the Nigerian ambassador to South Africa for consultations over the attacks. But an amendment calling for Nigeria to sever diplomatic ties with South Africa was defeated.
The MPs also debated whether to use existing legislation to put pressure on South African businesses in Nigeria if the attacks continued.
AFRICAN COUNTRIES REACT
Violence has broken out in Mozambique, forcing South Africans to leave the neighbouring country in a hurry, while trucks exporting goods have been grounded.
Truck driver John Mashiloane, who works for Ngululu Carriers told reporters that he was forced to return to South Africa after the truck he was driving was stoned a short distance from the border town of Ressano Garcia.
"I’m back in South Africa, we have parked our trucks in Komatipoort. When we went into Mozambique in the morning, we saw that traffic was clear and thought it was fine, but just 4km into Mozambique near the Muamba Toll Gate, we found a mob of about 300 people in bakkies who started pelting our trucks with stones and telling us that we are killing their brothers and sisters so we deserve to die too," said Mashiloane.
Ngululu’s operational manager, Jay Luvhani, said that their trucking business had come to a standstill.
“Our employees are hiding at various police stations. We had to call back our drivers who were just getting into Mozambique. Some trucks have been pelted with stones, but there's not much damage; we just fear for their lives.
“In the early hours of the day, our drivers in the harbour were attacked and police had to intervene and they have since secured our trucks. We are looking forward to the situation being calm. But as we speak, it's not business as usual in Mozambique due to the retaliation of the Mozambicans over the xenophobic attacks in South Africa,” Luvhani said.
Mozambican national Sabelo Benito, who works at the Fish Market in Maputo, said he and his colleagues had received an SMS saying they should not travel to Mbombela because it was too dangerous.
“We got this SMS from some people around; it’s circulating and they are saying it’s very dangerous to travel to Mbombela as South Africans are killing our brothers and sisters. They said we must also retaliate and hurt them. This is not good for us here because our visitors are now scared. Some have since said they are going back to South Africa,” said Benito.
AFRICA REACTS
Mean while, the upsurge in xenophobic violence in South Africa that started in the port city of Durban a few weeks ago has angered African countries, many of whose citizens have been targeted.
ZAMBIA: Music blackout and boycott
Zambia's biggest private radio station Q FM has announced on its Facebook page that it has "indefinitely blacked out the playing of South African music in protest against xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals taking place in that country".
"We need to send a clear message to South Africans that violence on fellow Africans negates African unity which the forefathers of the continent fought for," the station said.
MALAWI: Goods boycott call
There have been calls for people to stop buying South African goods and services, spearheaded by John Kapito, executive director of the Consumers Association of Malawi (CAMA).
"We're urging Malawians to boycott all South African shops and goods," he told the BBC.
"We're giving them one week to close their shops. On Friday next week we will physically close all South African shops like Shoprite and Game, if they don't close on their own. If they don't want us in their country, we don't want their goods here too."
Billy Mayaya, an activist in the capital, Lilongwe, has said that there are street demonstration planned next Tuesday, where protesters will deliver a petition to the South African High Commission - two days after the government plans to begin the repatriation of some of its citizens from South Africa.
ZIMBABWE: Protest and artist boycott calls
Riot police in the capital, Harare, dispersed a crowd of protesters outside the South African embassy after they tried to force open the gates.
They were singing the South African national anthem Nkosi Sikelela' iAfrica (God Bless Africa) and the deputy ambassador eventually came out to receive their petition.
Hashtags about xenophobia are trending - and the BBC's Brian Hungwe in Harare says there are some messages going around on WhatsApp encouraging people to boycott South African acts at the upcoming Harare International Festival of the Arts (Hifa), which runs from 28 April to 2 May - but no artists have cancelled.
Zimbabwe's state-owned Chronicle reports that repatriation documents for 1,000 Zimbabweans in Durban have been arranged and the evacuation will begin on Sunday.
NIGERIA: MPs debate action
Lawmakers in the lower house passed a motion on Thursday to recall the Nigerian ambassador to South Africa for consultations over the attacks. But an amendment calling for Nigeria to sever diplomatic ties with South Africa was defeated.
The MPs also debated whether to use existing legislation to put pressure on South African businesses in Nigeria if the attacks continued.
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