This archive report was first published on 3 September 2019.
On Tuesday, September 3, 2019, South African police patrolled central Johannesburg in response to a new wave of anti-foreigner violence that had hit the financial capital.
AFP photographers in Alexandra reported a heavy police presence and the continued use of rubber bullets to disperse crowds.
The violence, which began on Monday, 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.
Additionally, at least 20 people were arrested in connection with truck attacks near the coastal city of Durban and in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal, bringing the total number of arrests to over 110.
South Africa is a major destination for economic migrants from the southern Africa region, with many moving from neighbouring Lesotho, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe in search of work.
Such violence breaks out sporadically in South Africa, where many nationals blame immigrants for high unemployment, particularly in manual labour.
South African truckers had 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 on Monday.
