This archive report was first published on 14 September 2019.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa faced a hostile crowd during his address at Zimbabwe ex-leader Robert Mugabe's funeral on September 14, 2019, before apologizing for recent xenophobic attacks.
The funeral, held at the National Sports Stadium, was attended by several heads of state, including President Uhuru Kenyatta and other former presidents.
As Ramaphosa began his eulogy, a wave of jeers, boos, and whistles interrupted his speech, but he later apologized for the violence and the crowd erupted in cheers.
At least 12 people died and many others were injured in the violence, which saw foreigners' shops looted and property vandalized.
Twelve people have died, many have been arrested, and hundreds of immigrants, including Nigerians and Zimbabweans, were forced to leave the country.
President Ramaphosa said, 'In the past two weeks we have had challenges, some of which was directed at nationals from other countries. This has led to the deaths and injuries of other people – some of which were nationals of other countries, but the majority of which were South Africans. I stand before you to apologise for what has happened in our country.'
