I don't usually post stuff like this, but damn... On Monday, I saw a big cloud of smoke to the South of my house and then saw on the news that rioting, arson and looting had erupted in that part of town. I was meant to pass through the area that day to get a replacement clutch cable but I had changed my mind at the last minute so I was thankful for the sudden attack of laziness. The street in question has been completely devastated, you can see images of the aftermath of the mayhem of the previous evening here
Xenophobic violence breaks out regularly in South Africa and the causes are complex but it mainly boils down to people taking their anger and frustrations out on foreigners, mainly Africans from north of here because there are huge numbers of them, due to uncontrolled immigration and corruption that ensures that very few illegals here are ever deported. This puts massive strain on the poorest people as migrants are seen as competition for scarce resources. It only takes a small spark for violence to erupt and there were a couple of events that triggered another outbreak of violence.
The last few days have been tense, with many small foreign-owned shops remaining closed
Today I went to my metal-worker friend to continue working on a project that I am busy with. I got to the gates and saw that most of the businesses were keeping their entrances closed, also from fear of violence. I was shocked to see that his face was full of dried blood and small abrasions and then he showed me his car:
He was travelling on the freeway and needed to take the off ramp to get home that passes through the street that was the epicentre of the violence. He was aware of the situation but had heard nothing new on the news so he considered it safe to proceed. Suddenly, he found himself in the middle of a stone throwing mob who started pelting his car with bricks. His driver side window was smashed by a flying brick and he was hit in the face. Another brick took out his passenger-side rear window and you can see the damage to the windscreen and bonnet of the car. He drove past the mob and then realised that the way forward was blocked and the way back would mean passing the stone throwers. Fortunately, not everyone in the crowd was hostile and some people directed him to a side street where he could make his escape. He arrived home full of blood and here he is showing off the bricks that had ended up inside his car
He's lucky, he wasn't seriously hurt and his insurance will take care of the windows.
This is where we have got to as a society after the massive corruption of the last few years has pitted everyone against each other...