The homes of migrants who they suspect are working illegally in abandoned local mines have been set on fire by residents of a South African township close to Johannesburg. After a sizable number of miners were implicated in the gang rape of eight women last week, there was tremendous outrage.
Police have detained dozens of people in relation to the assault, but no one has been accused of rape. Poverty has contributed to xenophobic attacks in recent years. Some people hold the mistaken or correct belief that many of their problems are brought on by outsiders.
What this means
Locals in Kagiso claim that local criminality is caused by foreign miners, sometimes known as Zama Zamas. Tensions were raised by the sexual assaults that happened nearby in Krugersdorp last week. Tensions were raised by the sexual assaults that occurred last week in nearby Krugersdorp, and locals demanded a protest.
Another woman criticized the migrants for the violent assaults and stated, “Let them stop doing what they are doing.”
On Thursday morning, police used stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse enraged mobs who were pursuing the miners from the ground and from helicopters. They were forced to seek protection in abandoned underground mine ventilation shafts by others brandishing gardening tools.
A reporter for the national TV network eNCA reported seeing naked males being led through the neighborhood before being assaulted. 22 males who had been the targets of the violence were held by the police, possibly to stop them from being lynched.
One person has reportedly been discovered dead, but it’s not clear if the demonstration played any role in the person’s passing. The township’s main thoroughfares have been blocked off with rocks, debris, and burning tires.
People in Kagiso are now stating they fear reprisal assaults at night time.
The Aftermath
The attack on the women, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, represents the “ugly and evil side of society.”
Following the assault, at least 130 individuals have been apprehended, although many of them are being held on immigration-related charges as well as charges of illegally possessing explosives and firearms.
Before filing rape charges against anybody, the police claim they are awaiting the results of DNA tests.