by Our Foreign Desk

THOUSANDS of South Africans marched through Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, yesterday in solidarity with foreign nationals who have suffered mounting attacks in recent weeks.

At least five people have been killed and 74 people arrested since the end of March after Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini said that immigrants should “take their bags and go.”

Groups of people travelled from various other provinces to join in the show of solidarity.

The march was led by Mayor James Nxumalo and the KwaZulu Natal province premier Senzo Mchunu.

South African National Defence Union (Sandu) official Tim Flack has laid a charge of hate speech against the king with the Human Rights Commission.

He said he felt compelled to take action in his private capacity.

But the xenophobic violence spread to Johannesburg yesterday.

Cars were stoned, foreigners closed their shops and two people were injured.

Hundreds of foreigners were forced to flee their homes overnight and seek refuge at the Primrose police station and at a nearby petrol station, telling police that they feared for their safety.

More than 2,000 foreigners have already sought shelter in refugee camps in Durban, an aid group said on Wednesday.

But the refugee camps, set up on sports fields around Durban, will not be large enough if attacks on immigrants continue, said Imtiaz Sooliman of the Gift of the Givers organisation.

Those who can afford it are planning to leave the country, he said.

“They’ve lost their houses, they’ve lost their businesses, they’ve lost everything,” Mr Sooliman said.

President Jacob Zuma condemned the violence, urged for calm to be restored and assigned several cabinet ministers to work on the problem with officials in KwaZulu-Natal province.

The government is addressing South African citizens’ “complaints about illegal and undocumented migrants, the takeover of local shops and other businesses by foreign nationals,” his office said.

Meanwhile, police fired rubber bullets and teargas to disperse a crowd of anti-immigrant protesters in an eastern suburb of Johannesburg.