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1st LD Writethru: Clashes reported during peace march against zenophobia violence in S. Africa

Xinhua, April 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Police on Thursday fired rubber bullets to disperse anti-foreigner protesters who tried to disrupt a peace march in Durban against xenophobia violence.

Witnesses said police were chasing a crowd of local people who protested against foreigners as the peace march went on.

The peace march was organized to show solidarity with foreigners under attack in the latest spate violence that swept several townships around Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province and some other parts of the country.

Many South Africans came from other provinces to join the march.

But the peace march was disrupted by a crowd of anti-foreigner protesters.

While firing rubber bullets, police also sprayed pepper on the crowd to disperse them, witnesses said.

Water canons were also moved into position, said one witness.

About 500 people were marching towards the peace march, shouting they were going to kill foreigners, said Joe Stolley, a reporter of News24.

The peace march went on after the disrupters were dispersed.

Minister of State Security David Mahlobo was among the VIPs taking part in the march.

"In the name of President Jacob Zuma we send our deepest condolences to the victims of these attacks. When these outbreaks started government officials reached out and provided services for the displaced foreign nationals," the minister said.

"As the government we are against the attacking of foreign nationals. No one has the right to take the law into their hands."

Mahlobo said the government had xenophobia under control.

At the march, First Lady Tobeka Madiba Zuma said, "As the mother of this nation I would have failed in my duty if I didn't come to add my voice. We Africans, our identity is formed by Ubuntu. I'm calling on all of us to exercise Ubuntu. As Africans we have our own way to respond to the challenges in an African way. "

Durban has been a hotspot of xenophobia violence that erupted on March 25. In the violence, five people were killed and dozens of others injured. Hundreds of foreign-owned shops and homes have been looted and thousands of foreigners displaced.

The violence spread to Johannesburg on Wednesday where locals and foreigners clashed, leaving several people injured.

"What we have seen in the last weeks is undermining what our forefathers fought for. We have heard the president saying that South Africans will be given a platform to state their concerns. It's embarrassing in the international community. We need to calm down. We need to sit down and have a dialogue with one another," said Tobeka Zuma. Endi