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Police in South Africa have deployed specialist units to an agricultural region in the Eastern Cape following a series of violent retaliatory attacks that left three foreign nationals dead and several others injured.
Authorities said the unrest erupted after a fatal altercation at a tavern in the Valencia citrus farming area near Addo, around 50 kilometres north of the coastal city of Gqeberha. A local resident was allegedly killed in a brawl involving both South Africans and foreign nationals outside the bar on Saturday night.
In response, members of the community launched random attacks on foreigners living in the area, police confirmed in a statement released on Monday.
“These unlawful acts of revenge began after the reported murder of a local man during a dispute between locals and foreign nationals,” Eastern Cape police said. “The community took to the streets and attacked foreign nationals in what appear to be random assaults.”
Police said that in addition to the South African man killed in the original fight, three foreign nationals were murdered in the aftermath. At least ten more individuals have been injured in the violence, which continued into Monday.
While the police did not officially confirm the nationalities of the victims, several South African news outlets reported they were Zimbabwean nationals. However, police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli told AFP: “We can’t assume they are from a particular country.”
Thousands of migrant workers, many from Zimbabwe and other neighbouring countries, travel to the region during the citrus-picking season. According to the Daily Maverick, more than 100 foreigners sought refuge at a local police station as tensions escalated.
South Africa, the most industrialised economy in the region, frequently sees outbreaks of xenophobic violence. Migrant workers, particularly those from other African nations, often face hostility, discrimination, and sometimes deadly attacks amid tensions over jobs and resources.
