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Death toll rises to four in xenophobia-related violence in S. Africa

Xinhua, January 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Four people have been killed during a looting stampede in Soweto, southwest of Johannesburg after a month-old baby was killed on Saturday, police confirmed on Sunday.

The baby was killed when a mob ramapaged a shop owned by a Pakistani.

The baby's death caused confusion -- either he was a casualty of marauding looters, or his mother was herself looting when he was killed. An investigation was still underway.

Looting has already spread to other areas around Soweto, where xenophobia is deeply rooted.

The latest spate of looting started on Monday after a 14-year- old South African boy was shot dead by a foreign shop owner for allegedly trying to break into a shop. In ensuing violence sparked by the killing, a 19-year-old youth and a man were killed.

The country's Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday added his voice to the condemnation against the violence, urging law enforcement officers to arrest the looters and those found in possession of illegal firearms.

"Clearly there was some criminal type of activities there," he said.

"Unlicensed guns are a matter of concern and we want the security forces to look into this," he said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has voiced concern over the violence that mainly affected foreigners, including refugees and asylum seekers.

"It is very concerning that people have lost their lives in the violence and many refugees and asylum-seekers have lost their livelihoods," UNHCR's Officer-in-Charge for Southern Africa, Veronica Modey-Ebi said.

In his Sunday remarks, Ramophosa urged the local communities to become agitative to find ways of handling their dissatisfaction and concerns.

"As we move ahead in our communities, we preserve life, and whatever problems (we might have), we (need to) try and solve them through dialogue and talking to each other," Ramaphosa said during an event to mark the African National Congress' 103 birthday anniversary in Phalaborwa, Limpopo Province, the last leg of celebrations. Endi