Atteridgeville calm after anti-Somali protest
The people of Phomolong informal settlement, in Atteridgeville, Pretoria. File photo.
The situation was calm in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, on Saturday morning after a violent protest by residents against Somalian business owners, Gauteng police said.
"Most of the Somali-owned shops are still closed and the police are monitoring the situation," Captain Thomas Mufamadi said.
He said the protest started on Thursday morning when a 25-year-old woman was shot dead, allegedly by a Somali businessman. "A group of residents went to a shop in Phomolong section and threw stones onto the roof. The owner who was inside the shop fired several shots at the crowd."
He was arrested and charged with murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Mufamadi said several Somali-owned shops were later broken into and looted. Two men were arrested in connection with the theft.
"The main cause of the protest against the Somalis is still under investigation," he said.
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