"This is xenophobic water," a woman among a group of residents quipped as Gauteng Community Safety MEC Khabisi Mosunkutu stepped over the murky waters gushing through the narrow alleys of the Kya Sand informal settlement, north-west of Joburg, which has been racked by violence.
But for a Mozambican, Fabian Ngobeni, this was not the time for jokes. Or to play.
As the MEC and his entourage moved deeper into the settlement, reassuring residents that the outbreak of violence that left many people wounded and several spaza shops looted would not recur, Ngobeni escorted his wife out of the area, heading back to Mozambique.
"My wife is scared, so she's going back home. She has only been here for four months and she insisted that she wanted to leave," said Ngobeni.
On Monday night, the young couple were forced to take cover underneath their bed as a rowdy mob tore down their neighbour's shack and hacked the occupants with weapons.
Unconfirmed reports that a woman had been gang-raped during Monday's attacks had also reached the couple. The presence of the police did not reassure them.
"I don't want this to happen to my wife. I was here in 2008 (during the previous xenophobic violence) and I don't want my wife to die," Ngobeni said.
Mosunkutu tried to calm the residents, still jittery from Monday night's violence. Most residents said the relative peace in the settlement was only temporary, with fears of more attacks mounting.
Most called on the government to deploy the army, claiming the police were "too soft and friendly".
Among them was Marcia Mocheku, from Marble Hall, Limpopo, who said she narrowly escaped death while a marauding mob broke into shacks belonging to her neighbours and attacked them.
To avoid the attacks, Mocheku said she had to pretend there was nobody inside her shack by removing the padlock outside the door and leaving the chain dangling.
"I just lay there quietly, holding my breath and making sure I didn't cough," she said.
The narrow path along her shack was splattered with blood - a stark reminder of Monday night's vicious attacks.
The police commander for Honeydew, Major-General Oswald Reddy, said that of the 11 attacks reported, five involved South Africans, four Zimbabweans and two Mozambicans.
As darkness fell on Tuesday, about 15 vehicles from the army drove into the area.
Mosunkutu and his Housing and Local Government counterpart, Kgaogelo Lekgoro, were quick to dismiss xenophobia as the reason behind the attacks.
"This is pure criminal activities. Our assessment of the situation is clear, and no such thing (as xenophobia) exists here. Not a trace," Mosunkutu said.
He added the government would consider the delivery of services such as electricity in the area as part of a plan to counter the outbreak of violence.
"What I've seen here is thugs robbing residents. They are doing it against the backdrop of xenophobia, but it's pure thuggery. It's totally coincidental that the victims happened to be foreigners," Lekgoro said.
At least 10 suspects were arrested on Tuesday after tip-offs from residents.
- The Star
But for a Mozambican, Fabian Ngobeni, this was not the time for jokes. Or to play.
As the MEC and his entourage moved deeper into the settlement, reassuring residents that the outbreak of violence that left many people wounded and several spaza shops looted would not recur, Ngobeni escorted his wife out of the area, heading back to Mozambique.
"My wife is scared, so she's going back home. She has only been here for four months and she insisted that she wanted to leave," said Ngobeni.
On Monday night, the young couple were forced to take cover underneath their bed as a rowdy mob tore down their neighbour's shack and hacked the occupants with weapons.
Unconfirmed reports that a woman had been gang-raped during Monday's attacks had also reached the couple. The presence of the police did not reassure them.
"I don't want this to happen to my wife. I was here in 2008 (during the previous xenophobic violence) and I don't want my wife to die," Ngobeni said.
Mosunkutu tried to calm the residents, still jittery from Monday night's violence. Most residents said the relative peace in the settlement was only temporary, with fears of more attacks mounting.
Most called on the government to deploy the army, claiming the police were "too soft and friendly".
Among them was Marcia Mocheku, from Marble Hall, Limpopo, who said she narrowly escaped death while a marauding mob broke into shacks belonging to her neighbours and attacked them.
To avoid the attacks, Mocheku said she had to pretend there was nobody inside her shack by removing the padlock outside the door and leaving the chain dangling.
"I just lay there quietly, holding my breath and making sure I didn't cough," she said.
The narrow path along her shack was splattered with blood - a stark reminder of Monday night's vicious attacks.
The police commander for Honeydew, Major-General Oswald Reddy, said that of the 11 attacks reported, five involved South Africans, four Zimbabweans and two Mozambicans.
As darkness fell on Tuesday, about 15 vehicles from the army drove into the area.
Mosunkutu and his Housing and Local Government counterpart, Kgaogelo Lekgoro, were quick to dismiss xenophobia as the reason behind the attacks.
"This is pure criminal activities. Our assessment of the situation is clear, and no such thing (as xenophobia) exists here. Not a trace," Mosunkutu said.
He added the government would consider the delivery of services such as electricity in the area as part of a plan to counter the outbreak of violence.
"What I've seen here is thugs robbing residents. They are doing it against the backdrop of xenophobia, but it's pure thuggery. It's totally coincidental that the victims happened to be foreigners," Lekgoro said.
At least 10 suspects were arrested on Tuesday after tip-offs from residents.
- The Star
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