It has been a tough few days in the capital city of South Africa Pretoria as one of taxi drivers was killed by an alleged foreigner.
Tensions between protesters and foreign nationals are palpable in Sunnyside, Pretoria, where taxi drivers have held what they call an anti-drug demonstration.
On the second day of the protest action led by taxi drivers, the activity moved away from Pretoria CBD to Sunnyside. Law enforcement officers, for the most part, have been successful in preventing what happened the day before.
However, there seemed to have been a standoff between foreign nationals and protesters.
Foreign nationals which are assumed to be Nigerians by South Africans, huddled on the side of the road, can be heard making threats at the protesting taxi drivers.
“Let them come one-on-one. We [will] finish them one-on-one. These are the Nigerians, we are here. They are down there. We are waiting for them. Let them come. The police [are] telling us to have patience. They are making peace but we can’t accept this nonsense… Let them come face us here one-on-one. We will kill them!” the foreign national screams as he continues to capture footage of the standoff.
But who would not react as killing and looting of foreigners have become a daily occurrence in South Africa.
On Wednesday, things got out of hand, after rioters raided foreign-owned shops. Scores of angry rioters were seen looting the stores and torching several others, as police tried to get a grip of the mayhem that had encapsulated the capital.
This, according to taxi drivers was a direct response to the murder of a fellow driver, known only as Jabu, who is believed to have been killed by foreign nationals.
However, protesting taxi drivers have since distanced themselves from the violence that we saw on Wednesday, claiming that there was a group, not associated with their cause, that took advantage of the situation.
From the information that has been circulating on social media, things were tensed in Sunnyside, Pretoria. motorists and commuters alike have been warned to refrain from the area.
Furthermore, road closures were enforced on:
- Cilliers Street; and
- Robert Sobukwe Street
The videos embedded below was the situation in Sunnyside ..
Does it mean every Nigerian in South Africa is a drug dealer? This was a question people are asking on social media.
It could be wrong to assume that all Nigerians are drug dealers because 90% of Nigerians are doing decent businesses all over Nigeria.
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