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CT plans for xenophobic attacks
19/05/2008 18:21 - (SA)
Cape Town - Police in Cape Town are identifying possible flashpoints for xenophobic violence and will have units on standby, the city administration said on Monday.
"The spread of attacks on refugees and foreign nationals from Alexandra through Gauteng has prompted the city... to ensure that similar incidents are not instigated on a similar scale in our city," mayoral committee member for safety Dumisani Ximbi said in a statement.
He said the city's metro police and the SA police had drawn up a "risk management plan".
"The metro police and the SAPS are identifying possible flash points and placing units on standby so that we can respond pre-emptively before any large mobilisation can take place," he said.
He appealed to communities and leaders across Cape Town to discourage any forms of violence or intolerance and to inform the police immediately of any incidents.
Metro police chief Bongani Jonas said his unit had a duty to protect the lives and property of all who lived in South Africa.
"We have noted with great concern that the perpetrators of these attacks did not hesitate to use live ammunition against unarmed and defenceless people as well as the law enforcement agencies," he said.
"Such acts will be met with the full might of the law."
Cape Town appears to have escaped the violence.
Though a Somali shopkeeper was shot in the Durbanville area last Friday, the killing has not been clearly linked to xenophobia.
- SAPA
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