Xenophobic Tensions Spill Over in Bredasdorp, Residents and Foreigners Clash

• On Thursday and Friday, clashes erupted between residents of Bredasdorp and foreigners following a march
• The police were eventually able to calm the area but not after a number of people had sustained injuries and spaza shops and properties belonging to foreigners had been attacked
• Cape Agulhas Municipality Deputy Mayor Raymond Ross, municipal manager Eben Phillips accepted a memorandum from the residents

BREDASDORP - Residents of Bredasdorp took to the streets and skirmishes broke out between them and foreigners as xenophobic tensions reached boiling point.

The violence erupted on Thursday and Friday with spaza shops and property belonging to foreign nationals being targeted by angry residents.

On Thursday, a group of disgruntled residents marched to the local municipality to hand over their memorandum of concerns, however, as they returned to their homes the group broke up into smaller clusters.

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These clusters left the approved route that the march had been allowed to take place on and caused havoc and destruction. Johan van Zyl was able to capture some of the chaotic scenes.

Friday saw a renewal of clashes between residents and foreigners according to News24. The police were eventually able to reign in the protestors and Cape Agulhas Municipality Deputy Mayor Raymond Ross, municipal manager Eben Phillips accepted a memorandum from the residents.

A number of concerns were raised in the memorandum, including the influx of undocumented foreigners into the area and the lack of accommodation.

MPs say Operation Dudula infringes on rights of foreigners, SA weighs in

Earlier, Briefly News reported that members of Parliament have also criticised Operation Dudula, a movement that began in the Gauteng province under the guise of getting rid of undocumented foreign nationals.

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The movement has now picked up momentum and has inched its way into other provinces.

On Tuesday, 22 March, MPs who are part of political organisations such as the Inkatha Freedom Party(IFP) and the ACDP have called out the movements well as another division of the movement that popped up in Kimberly, Northern Cape called 'Operation Fiela', reports TimesLIVE.

Narend Singh of the IFP acknowledged that foreign nationals who reside in South Africa, whether legally or illegally, need their rights to be protected against criminal groups. Singh stated that the party would not be supporting any xenophobic actions.

Source: Briefly News