Thousands flee S Africa attacks
Pastor Dale Morgan
Thousands flee S Africa attacks*
BBC - Some 6,000 people have fled a wave of attacks on foreigners in
South Africa, which has left at least 22 dead, aid workers say.
"This is a classic refugee situation," Rachel Cohen from Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF) told the BBC.
Many of those who have sought refuge in police stations, churches and
community halls are Zimbabweans, who have fled violence and poverty at home.
Up to three million Zimbabweans are thought to be in South Africa.
The BBC's Caroline Hawley in Johannesburg says the immigrants have
become a scapegoat for social problems, such as unemployment, crime and
a lack of housing.
Mobs of South Africans continue to roam around some townships near
Johannesburg, looking for foreigners and looting their shops.
Over the weekend, correspondents say central Johannesburg resembled a
war-zone, as armed police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse
angry crowds.
"If we go back into the streets, they're going to kill us there," one
Zimbabwean man seeking sanctuary in a police station told the BBC.
Some Zimbabweans say they will go home, despite the political violence
there, rather than face attacks in South Africa.
The front pages of several South African newspapers on Monday show a
horrific image of a man being burnt to death.
The police say they have made more than 200 arrests for crimes including
murder, rape and robbery.
"We're not talking about xenophobia, we're talking about criminality,"
said police spokesman Govindsamy Mariemuthoo.
He said police reservists and officers from other regions had been
called in to help quell the violence, reports the AP news agency.
'State of emergency'
A church where about 1,000 Zimbabweans have been taking refuge was attacked.
Bishop Paul Veryn of the Central Methodist Church which was attacked
told SABC radio: "We consider that the situation is getting so serious
that the police can no longer control it."
He called for a state of emergency to be declared to halt the violence.
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Scenes of violence on the streets of Johannesburg
MSF spokesman Eric Goemaere said: "This reminds me of a refugee
situation. I have treated bullet wounds, beaten people, rape victims,
and the people are terrified."
The attacks on foreigners began a week ago in the township of Alexandra,
north of Johannesburg, before spreading to the city centre and across
the Gauteng region.
President Thabo Mbeki said he would set up a panel of experts to
investigate the violence.
The leader of the governing African National Congress, Jacob Zuma, has
also condemned the attacks.
"We cannot allow South Africa to be famous for xenophobia," he told a
conference in Pretoria.
But the Human Rights Commission on Monday accused the government of not
doing enough to address the underlying problems.
"There has been poor leadership in this country as far as these issues
are concerned," HRC chief executive Tseliso Thipanyane told public radio.
He pointed out that there was a wave of attacks on foreigners in the
late 1990s, before the situation eased in following years.
Since the end of apartheid, migrants from across Africa have gone to
South Africa, attracted by its relative prosperity.