South Africa’s President Ramaphosa condemns ‘anti-foreigner violence’
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned a wave of looting and violence mostly targeting nationals of other African countries.
"There can be no justification for any South African to attack people from other countries," he said on Tuesday.
Dozens of people were arrested in Johannesburg on Monday. At least five people have been killed in the unrest.
Other African governments have issued warnings to their citizens over the violence.
Attacks on businesses run by "foreign nationals is something totally unacceptable, something that we cannot allow to happen in South Africa," Mr Ramaphosa said in a video posted to Twitter.
"I want it to stop immediately," he added.
Separately, the African Union (AU) issued a statement condemning the "despicable acts" of violence "in the strongest terms".
Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades in an attempt to quell the unrest on Monday. The surge in violence also saw mobs loot shops, torch vehicles, and target lorries that were being driven by foreign nationals.
-
