Looting at xenophobic march in South Africa

TT

Published 17.28

 

Locals in Johannesburg look out from their windows at Tuesday's demonstrations demanding that undocumented migrants leave South Africa. Photo: Themba Hadebe/AP/TT

Hundreds of people were arrested after looting during protests in South Africa demanding that all undocumented migrants leave the country.

Thousands of protesters - some armed with batons - gathered in various parts of South Africa on Tuesday. This after a several-week campaign by the citizen guard with the cape directed at migrants who are allegedly taking jobs from South Africans.

Police announced on Wednesday that the protests were largely peaceful but that around 900 people were arrested, some of whom were for looting.

In Clermont, outside Durban, many shopkeepers' shelves are empty.

"We are not in the country illegally, but they just started looting. It was scary and I feel betrayed. We had 19 people employed here, but today none of them have a job," says 29-year-old Mohamed Abdul, originally from Somalia.