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About 500 police are patrolling Alexandra township north-east of the Johannesburg CBD, following xenophobic attacks over the weekend.



An angry mob shot dead one person and injured 30 others, all believed to be illegal immigrants. Police spokesperson Moses Maphakakela says Alexandra residents say they don't want illegal immigrants in the area.

eanwhile, Doctors without Borders are treating some of the wounded foreigners who have sought refuge at a local police station in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg. The xenophobic attacks, which started in Alexandra a week ago, have since spread to Diepsloot, Midrand, Tembisa and Thokoza.

South African security analysts are warning that the government's intelligence agencies must get to the bottom of the attacks on foreigners which are putting national security at risk and believe the attacks are not random but seem to be organized by a core group of people.

Angry Zimbabweans who have fallen victims to xenophobic attacks have accused Mbeki of being partly responsible for the hate campaign against foreigners. Three million Zimbabweans are thought to have fled Zimbabwe since a political and economic meltdown started seven years ago. They say if Mbeki had pulled his weight in resolving the conflict in Zimbabwe they would have gone home a long time ago.

In an attempt to prevent a similar situation to that which emerged in Alexandra this week, police scoured the streets, dispersing any groups that had gathered.

t followed groups of people who could be heard in the distance, they passed fires and debris blocking the roads throughout the Extension One area. Officers randomly searched and whipped passersby

A resident of Alexandra who identified himself only as George said foreigners should leave the township because they cannot be traced once they commit crimes -- and they are willing to work for a low salary.

He said that because foreigners are employed as cheap labour, South Africans are unable to find employment, and employers prefer foreigners.

"The next move is for us to remove them from factories where they are employed, to indicate our seriousness on the influx of foreigners," he added.

Deputy Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba on Wednesday said attacks on foreign nationals could lead to revenge attacks on South Africans abroad.

Gauteng minister of agriculture Khabisi Mosunkutu said all those who are behind the violence will be traced and arrested. "No one has the right to terrorise you," he said.

"People should leave issues of illegal immigration to the government to sort out in a legal and humane manner."

cks are not mere xenophobia since there are many reports of South African citizens being attacked, but xenophobia is an element rationalizing the crowd mindset behind these violent activities.