Businesses belonging to Somalis living in South Africa have been looted following chaos which erupted in the wake of former South African Pres. Jacob Zuma’s jail sentence.
Shops were looted overnight and a section of the M2 highway was closed in Johannesburg as sporadic acts of violence following the jailing of former South African president Jacob Zuma spread to the country’s main economic hub.
The clashes are still ongoing in the cities and settlements in South Africa.
During the clashes, shops and businesses owned by Somalis in Johannesburg were looted and destroyed in the aftermath of the chaos. Vehicles belonging to Somali, Ethiopians and South Africans were also set ablaze.
Omar Abdullahi, a Somali businessman living in Johannesburg said many Somali properties had been looted and violence was still going on at the time of going to press.
He also said that most Somali traders had their property guarded with the help of the South African Police Force for fear of destruction.
South Africa is home to a large number of Somalis and Ethiopians, but they often face killings and looting by South African gangs.
BY OSMAN HUSSEIN ALI
