The keeping of 23 De Doorns people in custody has intensified the anger of locals towards Zimbabwean refugees, with some blaming the foreigners for the arrests.
Residents of De Doorns, near Worcester, left the Magistrate's Court fuming after the 23 held on public violence charges were remanded until Monday.
"Our people are in jail, but the Zimbabweans are at work," said one of them.
One community leader said yesterday that the locals were so furious they did not want to see the foreigners in Stofland informal settlement.
Another, Mlungisi Funyanwa, who is also deputy chairman of the Community Policing Forum, said while the community was willing to meet the authorities to discuss the crisis, it would be difficult to consider reintegration "while people are in jail".
The 23 appeared in court on Monday. It is expected about 1 500 people will march to the court in a show of support.
De Doorns police station commissioner Desmond van der Westhuizen said community leaders had been granted permission to lead a march.
He said it had been quiet in De Doorns since the court proceedings, but police continued to maintain a visible presence.
Mayor Charles Ntsomi said there would be a meeting today to discuss the plight of the refugees, who were being accommodated in tents on a sports field.
They were driven out of Stofland and their shacks torn down last Tuesday by South Africans who accused them of stealing their jobs.
A number of organisations and including political parties have condemned the violence.
The Women on Farms Project called on the government to launch an immediate investigation into the living and working conditions of the area's farm workers.
The ACDP said unemployment and the influx of refugees needed to be addressed, while Cope said the government had not learnt from last year's xenophobic attacks.
A prayer meeting is to be held on the sports field on Sunday. - Cape Times
Residents of De Doorns, near Worcester, left the Magistrate's Court fuming after the 23 held on public violence charges were remanded until Monday.
"Our people are in jail, but the Zimbabweans are at work," said one of them.
| 'Our people are in jail, but the Zimbabweans are at work' |
Another, Mlungisi Funyanwa, who is also deputy chairman of the Community Policing Forum, said while the community was willing to meet the authorities to discuss the crisis, it would be difficult to consider reintegration "while people are in jail".
The 23 appeared in court on Monday. It is expected about 1 500 people will march to the court in a show of support.
De Doorns police station commissioner Desmond van der Westhuizen said community leaders had been granted permission to lead a march.
He said it had been quiet in De Doorns since the court proceedings, but police continued to maintain a visible presence.
Mayor Charles Ntsomi said there would be a meeting today to discuss the plight of the refugees, who were being accommodated in tents on a sports field.
They were driven out of Stofland and their shacks torn down last Tuesday by South Africans who accused them of stealing their jobs.
A number of organisations and including political parties have condemned the violence.
The Women on Farms Project called on the government to launch an immediate investigation into the living and working conditions of the area's farm workers.
The ACDP said unemployment and the influx of refugees needed to be addressed, while Cope said the government had not learnt from last year's xenophobic attacks.
A prayer meeting is to be held on the sports field on Sunday. - Cape Times
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