Anti-xenophobia march headed to Union Buildings
A group of foreigners, locals and civil society organisations have gathered in Pretoria to march to the Union Buildings where they will hand over a memorandum to government.
The group of about 100 people is being accompanied by police.
The group is concerned over the recent increase in violence towards foreign nations, who are being accused by locals of taking jobs and houses from South Africans.
Foreign owned shops were looted in Olievenhoutbosch earlier this week, while houses belonging to foreigners were torched in Rosettenville last month.
Tensions ran high in Pretoria when a group calling themselves the Mamelodi Concerned Residents protested at the Desmond Tutu Refugee Centre on 25 February.
One of the organisers, Themba Ncalo, says the ANC and government must stop the monopolisation of projects in townships.
The jobs are only given and considered for people who are card-carrying members of the ANC. When that happens, those who do not gets jobs attack foreigners to get the attention of government - and that strategy is working," says Ncalo.
WATCH #AntiXenophobiaMarch DRC national "Mr president,sir,with all due respect,stop denying this is xenophobia" @Slindelo_M pic.twitter.com/66XntXw3gi
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) March 9, 2017
WATCH #AntiXenophobiaMarch "It is big business taking jobs it is govt that is not delivering on services" @Slindelo_M pic.twitter.com/MeWCnWC7NY
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) March 9, 2017
