No violence in Alexandra, police say

2011-10-20 10:26

Johannesburg - There has been no intimidation or violence reported in the past two days in the township of Alexandra in Johannesburg, Gauteng police said on Thursday.

"We have not received any incidents. Our police are on the ground monitoring the situation," Lt-Col Lungelo Dlamini said.

On Wednesday, residents warned of an uprising over the foreigners living in RDP houses in extension 10 of the township.

"If government doesn't want to help us then we as the community need to rise up on our own," resident Angeline Masango said.

"It's going to be difficult. To my knowledge the people of Alex... are angry."

Allocation of RDP houses

The Gauteng housing department said it was not aware of foreign nationals living in the RDP houses, and that only "bona fide" South Africans had been allocated the dwellings.

Residents claimed foreigners were receiving RDP houses before locals, because they were able to pay.

On Tuesday, residents put posters on street lamps warning foreigners to vacate RDP houses in extension 10, and delivered pamphlets to houses.

The pamphlets read: "The resident of Alexandra doesn't want to revoke (sic) xenophobia, unless you give the cause to do so. We demand that you vacate at your own free will, without being pushed like animals or aliens."

Residents had given foreigners until Sunday to vacate the houses.

There were more than 1 000 RDP houses in extension 10. Half of them were rent stock and the other half for poor residents unable to pay rent.

People who qualified for an RDP house had to earn less than R3 000 a month and had to be South African citizens. Electricity, water and sanitation were provided.

- Are you there? Send us your eyewitness accounts and photos

- SAPA