Crime stats: Nhleko on illegal foreigners
Police Minister Nathi Nhleko has seemed to allude to the idea that illegal foreigners are linked to the perpetuation of certain types of crimes.
“We also have the problem of the influx of undocumented immigrants,” said Nhleko as he delivered the country's crime statistics to the Portfolio Committee on Police in Parliament.
“There tends to be a relationship with those concentrated points [where foreigners are based] with the prevalence of certain types of crimes around those particular areas,” he said, mentioning the resurgence of taxi-related violence and the thriving market for second-hand goods.
Earlier this year, parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, were hit by waves of xenophobic violence in which at least seven people died and thousands were displaced.
The violence was blamed on Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, who was accused of instigating the attacks after he made comments that "foreigners must pack their bags and go home".
(File photo: Gallo Images)