Share

No sign of soldiers in Alexandra

Johannesburg - While no armed soldiers were seen in the streets of the Alexandra on Tuesday night, one soldier said they were there. 

A soldier at the Alexandra police station was asked by journalists whether his colleagues were already on duty, following an announcement by Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula earlier on Tuesday that they would be deployed to volatile areas across the country.

The soldier said the army was in the community, but not in full view of the public. 

Journalists had been waiting outside the police station from the early evening hoping to see the SA National Defence Force arrive, but were disappointed. 

Instead, Mapisa-Nqakula returned to the station in the late evening. She entered and later emerged alongside Security Minister David Mahlobo. 

A few foreign nationals, all men, waited outside the station to address her. They had gone to the police station to seek shelter. Mapisa-Nqakula asked them where their wives and girlfriends were.  

"It's our secret," one man responded.

Mapisa-Nqakula told them law enforcement officials were there to protect them.

Some of the men told the two ministers they had legal documents to live and work in South Africa and could not understand why they were being attacked.

"We never kill anyone," said one Somalian.

At least seven people have been killed in xenophobic violence in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in the past week. Four of them were foreigners. One man, Mozambican Emmanuel Sithole, was stabbed to death in Alexandra on Saturday morning. A foreign couple was shot and wounded in their Alexandra home on Monday night.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 548 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 789 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.90
+0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.1%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE