Warning of xenophobia violence circulated

A train full of Zulus left Durban on Thursday, heading to Johannesburg and Pretoria to launch attacks on foreigners, says a new warning circulated through SMS.

"These Zulus are armed and they are going to kill any foreigners they meet on the street tomorrow," the warning reads.

According to the warning, areas to be affected include Hilbrow, Berea, Carlton Centre, northgate, Benoni and all the surrounding places around Gauteng Province.

The authenticity of the warning could not be confirmed.

A similar warning of attacks on foreigners in Johannesburg was also circulated through SMS on Wednesday.

Violence erupted hours after the warning in Johanesburg CBD, in which a number of foreign-owned shops were looted.

Some black townships around Johannesburg were hit by xenophobia attacks in January and March this year, in which hundreds of foreign-owned shops were looted, several people were killed and dozens of people injured.

Many foreigners fear that xenophobic attacks similar to those in 2008 are taking place again.

In the 2008 violence, more than 60 people were killed and hundreds of others injured. Endi