South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is calling for the arrest of people involved in xenophobic attacks targeting foreign-owned businesses in the country.
Over the weekend, the word xenophobia began trending on Twitter after several attacks were taken out on foreign businesses in the country of South Africa. In a statement, Ramaphosa said that he had convened security meeting with law enforcement agencies to put an end to the violence. According to CNN, the president said there is no reason for the attacks to be carried out and cautioned that violence on foreign businesses could trigger xenophobic attacks against South Africans living abroad.
I condemn the violence that has been spreading around a number of our provinces in the strongest terms. I’m convening the ministers in the security cluster today to make sure that we keep a close eye on these acts of wanton violence and find ways of stopping them. pic.twitter.com/sizZkwIyPO
— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 3, 2019
On Sunday, riots broke out in a neighborhood in Johannesburg, resulting in people burning down and looting numerous foreign businesses in the area. So far police have arrested more than 70 people in connection to the incident, which started in Jeppestown. President Muhammadu Buhari said he was deeply concerned about the situation, and he has also sent a delegation to meet with Ramaphosa over the attacks, CNN reports.
We have a history in this country of resisting violence and of working tirelessly towards a society that upholds and respects the human rights and dignity of our people. Let us build on that history. This is a TIME to act – a time to be bold and decisive.
— Cyril Ramaphosa ?? (@CyrilRamaphosa) September 3, 2019
