'I'm thinking of leaving‚' says despairing Bangladeshi businessman after latest wave of xenophobic violence

Standing behind a security gate secured by a padlock in his grocery store in Jeppestown‚ Bangladeshi migrant Shahidul Islam admits that he's thinking of leaving South Africa after nine years due to constant threats amid renewed xenophobic tensions in the city.

Islam‚ 36‚ like many other migrants in Johannesburg and surrounds‚ have been living in fear for the past few days as residents of the nearby Jeppe men's hostel and George Goch hostel in Denver have gone on looting sprees after dark on Sunday and Monday nights‚ breaking into foreign-owned stores and clashing with police.

Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said police had to use rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse a group of about 300 people from the nearby hostels on Monday night‚ with reports of live gunfire taking place.

• Seal our borders and keep illegals out: Mashaba's challenge to Home AffairsJohannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba has called on the Department of Home Affairs to seal the country’s borders and ensure that no one comes into the country illegally. 

"I'm thinking of leaving and going back to my country. What can I do? Life is very important‚" he said on Tuesday.

Islam‚ with the help of a neighbouring panel beater‚ secured his store by welding sheets of metal over the windows after they were broken by the looters.

"My brother's shop was robbed. They broke the glass in my shop on Sunday night. I must protect my shop‚" he said. Mohammed Mosaraf Hossain‚ 24‚ whose shop a few blocks away from Islam's was robbed a week ago before the latest looting affected businesses in the area.

• Home Affairs hits back at Mashaba over xenophobia barbThe Department of Home Affairs hit back at Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba on Tuesday over his criticism of its attitude to xenophobia‚ saying the mayor had not responded to requests for his input on amendments to migration bills under consideration in parliament. 

"Today's quiet. But on Monday night I was up all night as they tried to break in here. I don't trust anyone here‚" he said.

Hossain‚ who has been in South Africa for four years‚ said he was tired of being robbed and not seeing government come to his help.

"One guy robbed me three times. Government must help us‚" he said. "They [the looters] know the police are playing games. They must stop using rubber bullets."

• Five held after second night of looting in JeppestownPolice have arrested five people for public violence and robbery after another night of looting in Jeppestown‚ Johannesburg. 

Hossain estimates that the stock stolen from him on Sunday night was valued around R60 000.

"Who is going to take responsibility? Government is sleeping‚" he said.

Political leaders including newly elected City of Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba and Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba have been making inflammatory statements about "illegal immigrants" and shifting the blame to each other.

• Target drug dealers‚ not innocent foreign nationals‚ pleads Jeppestown businessman“We are human‚ just like you. We are not evil. If you want drug dealers‚ go after drug dealers and not those of us who are making an honest living.” 

On Tuesday morning while the DA picketed outside Gauteng Premier David Makhura's office‚ Mashaba said the city was facing a "crisis" and called on Gigaba to close the borders.

"For some reason‚ the Minister of Home Affairs wants to plunge this country into chaos. We need to ensure that when people come to Johannesburg‚ they come to Johannesburg legally. And when they come to Johannesburg‚ they respect the laws of this country. " he said.

Meanwhile‚ the Department of Home Affairs' Mayihlome Tshwete said on Tuesday‚ "What the mayor is trying to do is shift attention from his Afro-phobic utterances".

In a statement on Tuesday‚ Oxfam SA's Isaac Mangena said: "These tensions have been simmering for some months now‚ and we believe government‚ working with communities and civil society could have done more to prevent the explosion seen over the last few days."

Mangena said ridding communities of xenophobia while building social cohesion should be a systematic and structured intervention and target the source of the tensions.

- TMG Digital