South African Correspondent
ADDO, South Africa – At least four foreign nationals are dead and ten others injured following a wave of xenophobic attacks that erupted in Valencia Township, Eastern Cape, on Sunday.
The violence, described by witnesses as unprecedented in its brutality, forced hundreds of immigrants, including women and children, to flee their homes and seek refuge outside the Addo Police Station.
According to Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli, the attacks appear to be retaliatory.
“The violence followed the killing of a South African man on Saturday night at a tavern in Valencia Township, Addo,” Nkohli stated.
“The man was allegedly stabbed by a foreign national.”
By Sunday, revenge attacks targeting immigrants had broken out indiscriminately across the township.
“Like Something Out of a Bloody Hollywood Film”
Eyewitness accounts paint a harrowing picture of organized mob violence. One immigrant, speaking anonymously to GroundUp due to fear, described systematic targeting:
“A group of locals went around mobilising other residents to come to a meeting where foreigners were barred from attending. Soon after that violence started. Angry locals moved around kicking doors where foreigners were residing and beating anyone in sight.”
Kevin Mapurisa, a Zimbabwean community leader residing in Valencia for over 15 years, expressed shock at the ferocity.
“We have been staying peacefully with locals for all these years. I have never experienced this type of violence,” Mapurisa said, adding,
“It was like something out of a bloody Hollywood film.” He detailed the terror:
“Women and children were chased from their homes and had to sleep in the bush and in ditches. They could not make their way to the police station as the violent crowd went house to house hunting for any foreigners.”
Brutal Assaults and Displacement
One victim, Anyway Hlungwani, sustained severe injuries when a mob attacked him in his home.
“They burst into my room and began assaulting me with iron bars and a sledgehammer,”
Hlungwani recounted to GroundUp, struggling to speak through the pain. He was treated at Kirkwood Hospital and discharged Monday but remains unable to return home.
Francis Mawire, a Zimbabwean truck driver, described the anguish of being away while his family faced danger.
“The messages kept flooding from my frightened wife that they were being chased away. I felt powerless,” Mawire said, explaining he was returning from Bloemfontein.
“I advised them to go to the police station before the situation got worse.” His wife and four children are now among the displaced.
Vimbai Chiware, a single mother of three who has worked on a local farm for seven years, fled with nothing.
“We left the house with nothing because the mob was baying for our blood,” Chiware stated, highlighting the desperate conditions.
“I don’t know when the situation will end, and the weather is very cold.”
She expressed a desire to send her children back to Zimbabwe for safety but lacks the means.
Overwhelmed Response
Chris Mapingure, chairman of the Zimbabwe Migrants Support Network, confirmed his organisation is scrambling to assist the large number of affected people sheltering near the police station.
“We are overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in need of assistance,” Mapingure stated, emphasizing the scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding.
Warrant Officer Nkohli confirmed police are investigating both the initial stabbing and the subsequent attacks. The displaced community remains vulnerable, sheltering outdoors near the Addo Police Station, awaiting security assurances and humanitarian aid as authorities work to restore order.
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