The Mozambican Foreign Affairs Minister, Oldemiro Baloi, urged in Maputo the government of South Africa to take severe measures against the anti-foreigners violence, local news agency reported on Wednesday.
According to the country’s state News Agency AIM, Baloi announced during the Council of Minister briefing that more than 100 Mozambicans have expressed their interests to return to their homeland, fearing the worse in South Africa.
“Mozambican Higher Commissioner is in Durban at the moment and there are no indicators that the situation is calming down. There are reports that the xenophobic attacks expanded from the suburbs to the cities,” said Baloi.
An estimated 22,000 Mozambicans are living in Durban, but only 6,600 have registered at the Mozambican consulate in the city. About 270 Mozambicans are in two accommodation centres in Durban, and of these 108 have asked to return to Mozambique.
So far, two Mozambicans are reported to have died as victims of the xenophobic attacks sparked by the speech of Goodwill Zwelithini, king of the Zulu nation in South Africa, who urged the foreigners to leave the country, though he claimed later that the media misinterpreted him. Enditem
Source: Xinhua