South African attacks on foreign shops continue; 12 dead

JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Two people have been killed in Johannesburg, police confirmed Monday, bringing to 12 the number of deaths since violence against foreign-owned shops erupted last month.

Bands of South Africans launched violent attacks against foreign-owned shops and stalls, looting and burning the small businesses and attacking some of the shopkeepers.

Police spokesman Kay Makhubela confirmed that two people suspected to be foreigners were killed in the violence Sunday night and said that at least 640 people have been arrested since the violence erupted last week.

The nationalities of those killed have not been announced but Nigerians, Ethiopians, Congolese and Zimbabweans have been attacked, according to local media.

The attacks appear to be spreading throughout Gauteng, the country’s most populous province encompassing the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Police minister Bheki Cele on Monday met with executives of major South African businesses, including the retailer Shoprite and MTN, a mobile phone and internet provider, whose operations were targeted in retaliatory attacks in Lagos, Nigeria, last week. The executives expressed concern that the violence in South Africa is hurting their operations in other parts of the continent.

“The implications of the situation in South Africa are really profound. They have affected us in other countries in which we operate,” said MTN group CEO Rob Shuter. The MTN group is owned almost 50% by international investors, some living in London, Boston and New York, he said.

The Nigerian demonstrations forced South Africa’s consular offices in Lagos to close. South Africa’s foreign affairs minister Naledi Pandor is scheduled to meet with African ambassadors in Pretoria Monday as the government attempts to put out the diplomatic fallout from the attacks.

Nigerian president Mahummadu Buhari is scheduled to visit South Africa on a state visit in October, and the attacks against Nigerian nationals and businesses in South Africa are expected to be on the agenda.