This archive report was first published on 3 September 2019.
On September 3, 2019, South Africa was gripped by a fresh wave of anti-foreigner violence, with Johannesburg being the epicenter of the unrest.
AFP photographers in Alexandra reported a heavy police presence, with rubber bullets still being fired to disperse the crowds. The police were scheduled to meet with community leaders later that day.
The violence, which broke out on the second night of urban rioting in Johannesburg, saw hundreds of people march through the streets in an unusually large expression of anti-foreigner sentiment.
According to a government statement released late on Monday, more than 90 people were arrested for looting shops and damaging property in Johannesburg and surrounding areas.
Such violence is not new to South Africa, where many nationals blame immigrants for high unemployment, particularly in manual labor.
South African truckers also started a nation-wide strike on Sunday to protest against the employment of foreign drivers, staging road blockades and torching foreign-driven vehicles in various parts of the country.
