South African police confirmed on Monday in Johannesburg that foreign shops were looted on Sunday, in an informal settlement near Natalspruit in eastern Johannesburg, following the deaths of two local residents.
The police said the looting took place after local residents were chasing away foreign nationals in retaliation for the killing of two local residents, allegedly by a Pakistani national late last week.
The police said the Pakistani national shot and killed a woman and a child following a brawl.
“The killing angered the local residents who retaliated by chasing foreigners away and looted their shops,” they said.
A witness said on condition of anonymity that the situation was tensed and police sent reinforcements to the area.
He said the police used rubber bullets to disperse angry crowds.
Meanwhile, an unconfirmed report said the foreign nationals were collecting illegal fire arms so that they could protect themselves from criminals.
The incident was reminiscent of the xenophobic attacks in April 2015, in which several people were killed and thousands of foreigners were displaced.
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