No Rwandan attacked in latest South Africa violence — envoy

Rwanda’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Vincent Karega, has said that no Rwandan has so far died or been threatened in the latest wave of anti-foreigner violence in Johannesburg. Rioters have in the past few days caused chaos in South Africas commercial capital, Johannesburg, torching vehicles and looting shops. Targeted properties mainly belong to foreign nationals. “No Rwandan has died, and no Rwandan is threatened as such. There is no deliberate policy by the government of South Africa to chase away foreigners. And, what is happening here is not institutionally driven,” Karega said. South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday denounced the wave of looting and violence mostly targeting nationals of other African countries. Ramaphosa said that there can be no justification for any South African to attack people from other countries. The African Union (AU) also issued a statement condemning the despicable acts of violence in the strongest terms. Karega said that there are about 750 Rwandans residing in different parts of South Africa. He added: “It is something sporadic, community based, and with roots in the economic history of this country due to apartheid, and also some of the challenges due to illegal immigration as well as challenges of cultural crashes of African communities in disadvantaged areas.” Dozens of people were arrested in Johannesburg on Monday and at least five people were killed in the unrest, according to media reports. In a video posted to Twitter, Ramaphosa said that attacks on businesses run by foreign nationals are something totally unacceptable, and something that “we cannot allow to happen in South Africa. This is not the first time such violence is erupting in South Africa. In 2008, there were similar attacks across the country against refugees and migrants and more than 60 people were reported killed and thousands displaced. About seven years later, in 2015, there were outbreaks of violence against non-South Africans, mostly in the cities of Durban and Johannesburg. The country is home to an estimated 3.6 million migrants.

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No Rwandan attacked in latest South Africa violence — envoy