Zuma Tells South Africans to Stop Attacking Foreigners
President Zuma said local people should not vent their anger for some pressing issues on foreigners.
WASHINGTON DC — Thousands of Zimbabweans are expected to stage a peaceful protest at the South African Embassy in Harare on Friday as xenophobic attacks targeting foreigners continue in that country. Organizers of the event say they expect a huge turnout. Zimbabweans have been angered by the violent attacks that have left several people dead in the port city of Durban. There were running battles Thursday pitting some locals and foreigners in the outskirts of Durban and Johannesburg. Thousands of South Africans also attended a rally in Durban where they expressed their solidarity with foreigners. This came at a time when President Jacob Zuma addressed parliament where he called on South Africans to stop the attacks. President Zuma further said local people should not vent their anger for some pressing issues on foreigners. But Mr. Zuma was immediately attacked by the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema, who said Mr. Zuma’s son, Edward, was among those people who were perpetrating the xenophobic attacks. The president’s son allegedly told the local press that foreigners are posing a security threat to South Africa as they have a potential of even overthrowing a constitutionally-elected government in the near future. Zulu king Godwill Zwelithini has been accused of sparking the violence. But he is denying that he called for the removal of foreigners from the country.