Saturday, April 11, 2015
Durban - Two people thought to be Somali nationals were critically injured when a shop was petrol-bombed in W Section in Umlazi on Friday night, police said.
The attack follows widespread looting of shops owned by foreign nationals in amidst a groundswell of anti-foreigner sentiment in Durban.
Despite a heightened police presence in the township, locals continue to rampage through stores owned by foreign nationals.
More than 1 000 people from other African states have been driven out of their homes and have sought refuge at police stations and a sports ground south of Durban.
A well-placed police source, who could not be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed that two people sustained critical burn wounds.
“A Somali owned shop in W Section was torched with a petrol bomb and it was engulfed by flames while two Somalians were still inside,” he said.
The source added that details of who perpetrated the attack remained scant.
“The two were rushed to the Prince M’Shiyeni Memorial Hospital for care. It is unclear how many people targeted the shop or why they did so,’ he said.
Tensions between foreigners and locals in South Africa’s second largest township continue to boil over with tit for tat retaliatory attacks.