Ugandan officials in Pretoria are saying that so far there are no reports of any Ugandan injured or attacked in the wave of xenophobic protests in South Africa.
The violent attacks on foreigners have rocked some major cities of South Africa, with atleast five people including a 14 year old confirmed dead and scores injured.
Ambassador Julius Peter Moto who heads the Uganda High Commission in Pretoria says they have issued an advisory to Ugandans residing and working in various provinces to remain on high alert and watch out for each other.
In Kampala, the Foreign Affairs ministry spokesperson Fred Opolot says they are closely monitoring the situation and are in touch with South African officials. We earlier spoke to one William Kasirye a resident in Mpumulanga state, who says Ugandans especially those in Johannesburg and Kwazulu Natal are hiding at police stations in fear of being attacked.
He however says over 800 police officers have been deployed in Johannesburg to safeguard the foreigners and their property.
According to the BBC, in South Africa’s coastal city of Durban, up to 5,000 people have taken part in a rally against xenophobia following attacks on foreigners.
President Jacob Zuma has condemned the violence, which has claimed at least five lives, as “shocking”, and called for calm to be restored.
President Zuma has told parliament that no amount of frustration or anger can justify the attacks on foreign nationals and the looting of their shops.
The Zulu king has been accused of fueling the attacks but he denies this.
Many jobless South Africans accuse foreigners of taking jobs in a country where the unemployment rate is 24%.
Meanwhile, the Dean of African envoys to South Africa also ambassador of Democratic Republic of Congo, Ben M’Poko, will tomorrow convene a meeting with other African ambassadors and officials from the Department of Home Affairs to chat a way forward on the matter.
