This archive report was first published on 5 September 2019.
Kenya: Xenophobic Attacks in South Africa - Kenyans Demand Compensation ¶
Published on September 5, 2019
Kenyan diaspora in South Africa is demanding compensation for compatriots affected by xenophobic attacks in Gauteng Province, where the commercial capital Johannesburg is located.
According to the Kenya Diaspora in South Africa (Kedasa), two Kenyans lost property to looters in the violence that started in the province. The victims were law-abiding people running businesses in the Malvern area of Johannesburg when a mob descended on their establishments, looted and burnt them down.
"One of us has lost his stock of clothes worth about 200,000 rand (Sh1.4 million). That was his entire source of income. Another lost a portion of it, but what is left equally destroyed; it is charred," Kedasa chairman Godfrey Kamatu told the Nation by phone.
Kenya's Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma said Kenya was working with South African authorities to ensure the safety of its citizens. "We welcome the strong condemnation of these attacks by the government of South Africa and hope that the ethos and values of pan-Africanism will prevail over narrow nationalisms," she said.
South Africa is Africa's largest economy, but it is often rocked by xenophobic attacks, with jobless youth venting their frustrations on foreigners mostly employed in informal jobs or running their own businesses.
