MINISTERS gave the sternest warning yet on Sunday that those who sought to "instigate" xenophobic attacks and "undermine stability" in SA through fictitious messages on social media would be sought out by law enforcement agencies and dealt with.
During a press briefing in Pretoria, ministers — including home affairs minister Malusi Gigaba and state security minister David Mahlobo — said fictitious warnings of xenophobic violence which circulated earlier in the week were aimed at stirring tensions between foreign nationals and locals in the same communities.
This follows the killing of a Mozambican national in Alexandra township on Saturday morning.
Messages began circulating this past week, through social networking site Whatsapp and via SMS, threatening xenophobic violence in areas such as the Johannesburg CBD. This resulted in a stand off between foreign nationals and a group of attackers on Wednesday afternoon, which also saw a few scuffles.
Mr Mahlobo said while people were being investigated for instigating violence, he could not say who the individuals were.
President Jacob Zuma cancelled a trip to Indonesia for an Asia-Africa Investment summit to visit communities affected by the violence, including Chatsworth and Umlazi in Durban. Mr Zuma delegated deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa to attend the summit on his behalf.
While government said this past week’s attacks on foreign nationals were not as violent as 2008’s xenophobic violence, the recent attacks appeared more coordinated. During the briefing the ministers said 307 people were arrested over the violent attacks on foreign nationals.
Seven people have been killed, three of them South Africans and four foreign nationals. Mr Gigaba said the Department of Social Development has provided food and shelter to 1,026 displaced people in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal.
"We have noted a new phenomenon of people using social media to instill fear through fictitious images. Media have reported accurately without sensationalism. We are investigating these as we suspect they are orchestrated by people who want to instill a state of hysteria and anxiety in South Africa and in other countries," Mr Gigaba said.
Mr Gigaba said government set aside R118m to recruit immigration inspectors to ensure that companies do not breach the Basic Conditions of Employment Act when hiring foreign nationals.
It is believed that a company’s dismissal of local employees and hiring of undocumented foreigners played a role in tensions between foreigners and locals in Isipingo, where violence resurfaced weeks ago.
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