Durban police were out in full force to fight xenophobic attacks earlier this week. Gauteng police are also said to be on high alert. Image: Newsweek.

The police in Gauteng are on high alert as there seems to be a spike in the incidents of xenophobic attacks, which started in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and have spread to the other parts of the country.

On Friday evening, there were reports that several people in areas around Jeppestown had approached the police stations around their areas of residence to ask for protection following the escalation of violence in their areas.

This follows reports that several rounds of rubber bullets had been fired in Jeppestown by the police in an attempt to disperse locals who were bent on attacking foreign nationals who were residing and working in the area and according to visuals aired by eNCA, some cars were also overturned and set alight in the area.

In addition, the provincial government of Gauteng had also revealed that they had placed their disaster management centres on high alert following the various attacks on foreign nationals by the locals, particularly in Jeppestown.

In a statement made by the office of the Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Jacob Mamabolo, the office condemned all forms of violence and announced that the Provincial Disaster Management Centre is on full alert and on standby to assist people in distress.

The statement further revealed that Joint Operations Centres for Disaster Management in the cities of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni had been activated to help those affected by the attacks in any way in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Sedibeng and on the West Rand. “It must be stressed that the Provincial Disaster Management Centre and Municipalities are very serious about ensuring the safety, security and well-being of all residents in the province”, the statement added. It also listed the following numbers which the residents could use when in distress.

City of Johannesburg – 011 375 5555
City of Tshwane – 012 358 6400/6300
Ekurhuleni Municipality – 011 458 0911
Sedibeng District Municipality- 016 440 1000
Westrand District Municipality: 107 or 011 951 3000.