South Africans are reportedly destroying vending stalls at the Bara Taxi Rank in Soweto that are believed to be owned by foreign nationals.
The hawkers have complained that a resident-driven operation put in place to evict vendors who were in the country illegally wrongfully targeted them, resulting in them losing their stock.
The operation has also affected some local citizens. One trader said her ID book was thrown away when she provided it as proof of being a South African citizen, and that she was also accused of having obtained it illegally.
On Sunday, scores of residents, under the banner of Operation Dudula, descended on the rank to remove illegal immigrants hawking there. Watch the video below for more.
While some have criticised the South African citizens for the “xenophobic” attacks, some say blame the ANC government for failing to provide basic services to the general populace.
They say the public is expressing its anger at the wrong people, “the so-called foreigners from the other parts of Africa who are the soft targets of the frustrated communities.”