This archive report was first published on 4 September 2019.
On September 4, 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa vowed to clamp down on xenophobic violence after five people were killed in a surge of attacks.
The violence, which has a long history in South Africa, has been directed against foreigners, with mobs burning and looting shops in the township of Alexandra and the central business district of Johannesburg.
According to police, 189 people had been arrested in connection with the violence, which has been condemned by the African Union, Nigeria, and Zambia.
"I want it to stop immediately," Ramaphosa said in a video address broadcast on Twitter. "The violence has no justification."
The attacks on foreign stores began a day after South African truckers started a nationwide strike to protest against the employment of foreign drivers.
Deputy President David Mabuza condemned all attacks on foreign nationals, saying that South Africa was a nation founded on the values of humanity.
Opposition parties pinned the blame on the ruling African National Congress, saying that South Africans were scared and lacked real hope for the future.
