Some foreigners flee KwaMashu after violence
Some foreign nationals have fled KwaMashu over safety concerns after violence last night saw the looting of their shops and destruction of property.
Some locals went on the rampage in the township - north of Durban - accusing foreigners of abducting children in the area.
This after a message - which government authorities have stressed is fake - warned of children being kidnapped from schools.
One woman says her father owns a shop in KwaMashu's A section.
She says two Zimbabwean brothers - who have been renting the shop from them and lived on the property - were saved by police last night.
"They took everything, even the fridge. Everything.Luckily they did not harm the people who are renting the shop. The people from the hostels took everything," she said.
Another man from B Section says the Somalian national renting his family's property was also saved by cops when the shop gate was broken while others forced their way in through the corrugated iron roof.
I was sleeping and I heard a gun. I came this side and I saw a lot of people stealing. They are wrong," he said.
Another resident says a grinder was used to try get into his shop but when this didn't work, they entered through the roof.
He says the shop is his only source of income and it will cost about R85 000 to restock and fix what's damaged.